


How to train your manager

by BFCentral



Series: Fox manager [2]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Character Development, Comedy, Family Drama, Found Family, Gen, IDOLiSH7 Part 4 Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Minor Character Death, Original Character(s), Redemption arc of some sort, Series of unfortunate events caused by one certain idiot who doesn't know when to shut up, Slice of Life, ZOOL shares a one braincell and a flat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 74,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22268308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BFCentral/pseuds/BFCentral
Summary: 'You know, once someone I reaaally hate said that even if you lose everything and have to start from scratch, it won’t kill you.''And why do you hate them?''Because they were right.'-Sequel to 'Actually, I don't like grapes that much'. Set after part 4 ending.
Relationships: Inumaru Touma/Nanase Riku, Kujo Tenn/Isumi Haruka, Midou Torao/Natsume Minami
Series: Fox manager [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602910
Comments: 49
Kudos: 63





	1. Landmines and the laundry

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> We are very excited to present you a new project called Manager AU. It's something that we came up after part 4 ended and decided to give it a try and expand it into something more than just one shot. Also don't worry, we didn't forget about Tsukumo AU, it is on hold currently.
> 
> Before reading, please make sure you've read the prequel 'Actually, I don't like grapes that much', otherwise plot may get a bit confusing. AU starts 2 months after prequel.
> 
> We hope that you will enjoy the ride we prepared for you. Comments and kudos are apprecitated as usual, but you can hit us on other social media too!

“Good job today!”

“Good job, Haruka-kun! See you next time!”

Haruka pumped his fist mentally. If they talked about “next time”, they liked him enough to work with him again. Ryo-san surely would be proud- Coughs, not that it mattered to him or anything. Speaking of Tsukumo though, he would never get used to seeing that bright red car in front of the studio.

“There you are~ How did it go?”

“Yo, Ryo-san. It was okay, nothing unusual”

“You don’t look that happy about it though. Did they bully you?”

“They aren’t like you. I’m just not used to seeing you so often, feels weird.”

“You could always walk back home~! I would save up so much petrol if I-”

“No thanks. Let’s go.”

Haruka sat in the backseat and Ryo took the driver’s seat. The boy rolled his eyes watching the man gently caress the wheel before starting the engine. It was safer to set two safety belts while driving with Ryo so Haruka braced himself for the impact of starting moving. When they finally reached Ryo’s optimal speed (way over the limit) he smiled at Haruka in the mirror.

“We will be picking Minami up from the recording studio too~ It’s a bit of a detour but saves the time.”

“Is that so… Not like I mind.”

It’s been two months since they quit Tsukumo Productions and life had been hectic since then. Somehow, they managed to convince Ryo to become their manager but none of them knew how to go about being “indie”. Well, Tsukumo himself didn’t really know how to be a proper manager as well; all he knew was being a president after all. The change was hardest on him too - not only did he manage to burn all the bridges he ever crossed, he had a hard time getting rid of that haughty way of talking. Haruka still was very proud of him. Despite it being difficult, despite it being embarrassing Ryo was still doing his best, bowing his head and asking instead of throwing things and screaming. He couldn’t tell how many times they had been met with Ryo asleep on top of some papers after another sleepless night. 

Ryo on the other hand was used to hard work, after all he had been working a lot through his whole life - he had to, because he thought it was something that would earn him that respect from his family that he craved but never really received, unlike his brother.

Right… his brother who was right now sitting on HIS chair, inside HIS office, probably trying to understand all the stuff that went in the company in past few months when he was the president.

He took a turn to the right and stopped at the lights, his fingers tapping lightly the wheel.

‘After that one, you are free for some time. Minami is the most busy out of all of you.’

‘I know. That’s fine though. I can concentrate on my final exams and…’

Haruka gave Ryo a side look.

‘Ryo-san, you know…’

‘They have been talking about me again, am I right? That’s what you want to say?’

The boy went quiet because once again it felt like Ryo could read his mind. He had noticed a small change in his expression, but his look didn’t waver at all.

‘I don’t want-’

‘As long as it doesn’t impact your jobs, I honestly couldn’t care less. In another situation I would say ‘It doesn’t matter how they talk, the most important fact is that they TALK!’’

‘I know you are bothered because of it.’

The light changed from red to green and the car once again moved from place. Ryo didn’t answer him and Haruka knew he wouldn’t. There was no need to prolong this talk, so he looked behind the window again, watching the lights of the passing cars and the scenery change while his thoughts once more returned to today’s recording.

He could clearly hear those producers talk. 

_‘...isn’t that funny that he has to basically bend his back now and act polite? Sucks to be him-’_

_‘Must be karma, I’m telling you. Though, I really pity those kids. They are so talented, have so much potential and they left the production with him? Pretty illogical to me-’_

It was _illogical._ All of ZOOL’s choices since the beginning of this year were illogical to the others. Leaving Tsukumo, becoming indies, asking Ryo-san to be their manager though he had no idea how to handle things like this. Every time either just Haruka or all of them had a job, they had this ‘pleasure’ of hearing how others felt oh so sorry for them. Hell, everyone was praising them yet saying how they pity them for such poor choice, that maybe they were manipulated by this man?

Stupid idiots… if only they knew the truth. Though, even the truth wouldn’t change the fact that Ryo-san was guilty of many things. People were now taking their sweet revenge on the man that used to twist the show business to suit his own ways, often saying and doing things that were just plain awful, feeling assured he would never face a backlash. It was something Ryo absolutely didn’t predict and that’s why he had to go through all of this. 

They probably wouldn’t have the problems they have now if they actually stayed in Tsukumo Productions, despite Ryo not being in charge of it anymore. They would get a new manager assigned, get shitton of jobs and enjoy the stage properly, like they wished for during Black or White…

But it wouldn’t be the same Tsukumo Productions they had joined. There was an aspect that Haruka knew he would miss and that he wouldn’t be able to live without. That aspect was now driving the car, muttering something to himself as they got into traffic. 

‘Oh right. Touma said that he will cook for us today.’ Haruka picked up a talk again, this time trying to go with a less heavy topic. 

‘Good. What exactly? I’m still in awe that our Touma is such a good chef actually~ Without him, I’m afraid we would spend most of our budget for delivery.’ The man laughed and Haruka felt more at ease. It was a much better view than Ryo who was deep in his thoughts. It scared him that the man who used to raise his voice so much, throw things and just speak his mind as he pleased became like this. He still _did_ most of those things, but there were obvious signs of tiredness written on his face.

‘Dunno. But I hope it’s something big, because I am starving. All I ate today were sandwiches from conbini and-’

‘I thought you are more responsible than me, a person who lives on 3 black coffees and a waffle.’

‘I can see that on you! We told you to sit the hell down, Ryo-san. You are doing so much work that it could be split between at least 3 people and you are the only one here’

‘No one else is gonna do it if not me, little dummy~’

‘You are the only dummy here! Big, big dummy!’

‘Ahaha-’ That was probably the most tired laugh that Ryo ever let out. 

‘...Once we get home, you are going to sleep. Got that?’

‘Or what? You will tie me up and throw into the bathtub? You know that sleeping in the bathtub is for losers…’

‘So exactly for you!’ Ah. Haruka saw that change in his expression again. Damn, once again he said something that he shouldn’t. Speaking his mind without thinking must be something that he got because he spent so much time with Ryo.

‘Being a loser is not that awful, you know. It’s a bit tiring, I admit but I don’t consider it as something bad. It’s not really a foreign feeling either…’ Ryo put an emphasis onto the last sentence, so Haruka immediately knew that he had to back away and not stick his hand into this. How many landmines is he gonna hit today?

‘...I’m sorry, Ryo-san.’

‘Noo, don’t apologize. I’m a nice person, you know! If Haruka is gonna feel sad, then I guess my only option is to go to drive thru and get you a Happy Meal.'

‘Forget it, damn it!’

An obvious sound coming from the boy’s stomach disturbed this nervous silence between them, causing Ryo to almost explode from laughter and hit the next telephone pole, with Haruka’s erratic yell to pay attention to the road.

Until this day, he still had no idea who was crazy enough to give Ryo a driving license but considering that his surname was Tsukumo, Haruka wouldn’t be surprised if he actually bought himself one.

It was an adventure, every time.

  
  


***

‘We are back- God, it smells so nice. Touma, what’chu cooking?!’ Haruka took off his shoes in hurry and entered the living room with one of the shopping bags. Minami and Ryo slowly took off their coats and hung them inside the closet.

‘It’s getting a bit too small for all of our jackets.’ Minami mentioned as he struggled to squeeze his cream colored coat inside it.

‘You know, when I bought this flat I haven’t got a slightest idea that I could have so many guests at once!’

‘Then, maybe it’s time to invest in a bigger closet?’ Ryo shrugged it off and went to the living room to join Haruka.

It’s been already 2 months and he still couldn’t get used to how this flat had changed - for better or worse, _he couldn’t tell._

‘Haru- I told you to put your laundry into the basket! You left your shirt on the floor and just left this morning!’

‘Shut up, I was in a hurry! Also, it’s Torao who is on laundry duty this week.’

‘Me? I thought it was Minami’ Torao said from the couch, browsing on his tablet until something flew at his head and covered his face completely. The man stood up and threw it away, dropping the tablet on a pillow.

‘THE HELL YOU DOIN, HARUKA!’

‘THIS IS YOURS, SO IS THE LAUNDRY DUTY!’ 

‘I HAVE NEVER DONE LAUNDRY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!’

  
  
‘Then it is time to learn now, right Midou-san?’ Minami said and pat his shoulder, the piece of clothing that Torao previously threw onto the ground already in his hands ‘It’s not that hard. Ryo-san’s washing machine is pretty easy to use. I also know that you skipped your laundry duty by bribing Inumaru-san with-’

‘Okay okay, don’t call me out like that Minami!’ 

‘So Touma, will you tell me?’

‘You are so impatient, Haru.’

‘I’m starving, come on!’ 

‘Say please!’ Touma pointed his wooden spoon at Haruka who gave him the most offended look that the man had ever seen.

‘Screw you. I will eat an instant soup.’

‘I’m cooking today so you can eat something healthier, Haru!’

Ryo stood there, watching this commotion happen in front of him. There, he could see two of his boys argue over the kitchen counter, one armed with a wooden spoon in his hand, second with a huge daikon, while two others went to the bathroom, Minami explaining how to use the washing machine. Good thing that the apartment actually had it, though he used it mostly to wash his casual clothes - his suits always went somewhere else. Now, every time he went to the bathroom he would stumble on a huge basket filled with various pieces of clothing inside. 

‘How was the road, Ryo-san?’ Touma asked once the man sat down in front of the table that used to be placed in a completely different part of the house - now it was a kitchen table.

‘Pretty alright, though traffic caught us in the middle. It got better once we picked up Minami from the studio… anyway, get me some co-’

Before Ryo could finish, Haruka placed a bottle of juice in his hand.

‘This thing that resembles nothing like a coffee.’

‘I know it doesn’t! You won’t get another coffee tonight, don’t even think about it. You promised me something.’

‘Waa-- Haruka is bullying me while holding this big, bad daikon in his hand! Someone help me-’ He could only see Haruka roll his eyes and return to the counter to unpack the rest of the stuff. Touma on the other hand kept checking various pots, sometimes glancing at his phone, then opening some and checking the flavor. Delicious smell of cooked meat and some sauce filled the whole space, almost making Ryo drool onto the tabletop. He quickly opened the bottle of juice and drank some of it. Minami and Torao joined Ryo at the table as well.

‘So, is my washing machine alive or did you feed it with too many detergents?’

‘It’s alright. Midou-san was surprised how easy it was so he can perform his cleaning duty well now, right?’

‘Kinda… Though putting my hands on clothes that all of you wore before is kinda gross if you ask me-’

Soon, all of them began to talk about their days and the air became much lighter.

_This place got so lively since they moved in._

It all began as a joke when they said that Ryo’s flat was empty and they decided to raid it. However, the man didn’t expect them to actually… live up to their word and stay here for real. Suddenly a flat for one became a flat for five. 

Flats that Tsukumo Production provided for some of them, that were not only close to the main building but also to each other, were obviously out of their reach now. Once they left the company all of them were forced to give back their keys and leave. It wasn’t that they had nowhere to go - Torao himself had a splendid home with so many rooms he could house all of ZOOL but he still ended up staying with them, just like the rest. Ryo’s flat was a significant place for them after all, since the day when Ryo raised a toast for their ‘death and rebirth’. All of them started to come by more often, leaving their things here and there until they basically moved in. One toothbrush in a cup suddenly multiplied to 5, a cabinet in the bathroom had few more pairs of cosmetics and the kitchen actually began to fulfill its purpose instead of being here just for the show. The fridge was filled with various drinks, vegetables and other products that mostly Touma used for cooking. Living room on the other hand was in a mess and completely rearranged by the people that occupied it.

Two couches, one big TV, a coffee table and a drawer that previously held mostly documents and other stuff (now clothes) - nothing matched the interior or design idea. Some of their clothes that didn’t fit into the drawer were kept in another room in Ryo’s big closet - of course, once ZOOL got there, they discovered that Ryo had many suits (he would never wear) and watches. He got rid of some of them though to make the place.

His huge flat suddenly became really small as the only room that he still could call ‘the last bastion of privacy’ was his own bedroom/office in which he was doing most of his work related stuff. It got a bit cluttered once he brought some stuff over there and the amount of papers was frying his brain but he was the only pair of hands that ZOOL had to do this job. They asked him to do it, even though they clearly knew what consequences it would bring. Somehow, he found himself smiling a bit too much, which of course was something everyone noticed.

‘Ryo-san, are you already in the arms of Morpheus? What are you dreaming about?’

‘Shh- Usually when people sleep talk, they share some secrets. Let’s hear his credit card number!’

‘Hnn hnn, let’s see. Magical password 1111-’

‘Weeh, he’s not gonna tell us!”

Everyone laughed, soon interrupted by Touma who placed a bowl of steaming something in front of Ryo.

‘First one for you, Ryo-san. Watch it, it’s hot.’

Ryo looked at Touma’s creation and laughed to himself.

‘Of all meals, you had to prepare this one?’

‘It’s easy to make and tasty, come on! What’s wrong with it?’

Everyone looked at Ryo’s bowl as Touma went back to the kitchen to bring the rest of the bowls. Soon, they understood why Ryo was laughing. Touma took off his apron and sat down next to Haruka with his own portion.

‘Inumaru-san, that’s really cute of you.’

‘Mina, not you too…’

‘A meal of parents and children. I see. So you consider us a family, Touma.’

‘Are you done with that talk! Let’s eat already. We can talk about that later’

‘Fine fine! Let’s dig in then!’

With that being said, everyone began to eat. Touma laughed that Haruka was so hungry he could eat not only the meal but also the bowl. Ryo looked at all of them and then glanced back onto his dish.

Oyakodon, huh. Ryo had never been good at cooking and he probably would never get better at it, so he may just enjoy this meal, along with 4 other people.

Despite a huge mess and commotion that ZOOL moving into his home caused, Ryo couldn’t say he was that annoyed… or maybe he was just slowly getting used to his bathroom being occupied by someone else. Who knows.

No one forced them to stay, instead they forced their way in.

***

‘A--achoo!’ Momo sneezed out of sudden and wiped his nose with his hand.

‘What’s that? Getting sick?’

‘Nah… I just felt like someone was talking about me for some reason…It gave me a strange shiver.’


	2. It's too late to apologize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo-san gets his ass beat

Day like everyday. Someone’s phone alarm going off, hand of the owner reaching for it and accidently slapping the face of the person next to them. Depending on said person, they could wake up and complain or just not be bothered and still deep in the dreamland.

Minami sat up and stretched his back. It certainly wasn’t the most comfortable position for some but Haruka was still deep asleep next to him, his arms embracing Minami’s waist. As he discovered, Haruka is quite a cuddler in his sleep, but he always refused to admit so. Very cute of him.

‘Isumi-san… Unfortunately, you have to let me go’ He murmured to himself, slowly untangling Haruka’s limbs and putting them next to his face. The boy shifted a bit in his sleep and then the pillow that was next to him became his new target.

It was truly a surreal view to see 3 people sleeping next to each other, not including Minami. Thanks to that, Minami was able to learn each other’s sleeping habits… which could be later used for another purpose. Giggling to himself, he went in the direction of the bathroom. 

Ryo’s room was on the other side of a corridor. They usually weren’t entering it unless they wanted to get something specific from their shared closet that unfortunately had only one entrance located in their manager’s room. The man kept telling them that ‘He needs to have some privacy in his own house too!’ despite all 4 of them living in one room. Why did they agree to it again? Minami had no idea, everything they had been doing recently was pretty unreasonable…

‘...But you were unreasonable and full of paradoxes as well, right Sakura-san? Maybe this is what made your life interesting…’ Minami closed the door behind himself and began to undress for a shower, noticing one detail on his shoulder that certainly wouldn’t be appreciated by the public.

‘...I should tell  _ him _ to be more careful…’ That didn’t make his smile fade though and soon the sound of the shower began to fill the room.

In the other room, another alarm went off and the routine began once again.

Just like everyday.

***

The door to the living room had opened, Ryo’s legs lazily moving on the floor. Even though it was a daily occurence, ZOOL couldn’t get used to the view of their previously evil boss with bed hair and a look that called for nothing but coffee. He flopped onto the seat next to Haruka and yawned.

‘Good morning, Ryo-san. Did you dream of something?’

‘Mhm… nothing in particular’ He wouldn’t tell them that he had a very vivid dream about a bunch of animals and him being forced to feed them while wearing a penguin kigurumi. He would spare them details that included two parrots that kept biting his hands until he fed them with peach pieces. Strangely, those parrots had pink and green colour…

Ryo shook his head and soon a coffee was placed in front of him. Much better, the smell of caffeine was something that could motivate him to do things today.

‘So, what are the plans for today?’

‘I hope it’s not bungee jumping’ 

‘Unfortunately, no one is gonna die today. Anyway, let me look at the calendar and see’ Ryo quickly made a few glances towards his list. Since he became a manager he actually became more chaotic, but chaos was something he found himself in perfectly ‘Oh… in fact, someone may die today.’

‘What?’ Haruka just finished munching on his meal ‘Who?’

‘Yours truly. You may go to my lawyer and get free stuff from my will’

ZOOL collectively made a surprised sound as they looked at Ryo.

‘Ryo-san, the hell. Why would you die?’

‘Someone will pull a Trigger today and it will be Trigger itself’ Ryo gave them his usual on brand smile but all of them couldn’t be fooled anymore. Soon, it became clear.

‘A job with Trigger… Oh my’

‘How did you book us with them? Anyway, it’s not like I don’t get along with them or Kujo Tenn or something but-’

‘Isumi-san. Rather than us not being able to get along with Trigger, we have to think about things that surely will affect our relations’ With that said, all of them mentally agreed that their problem was sitting in front of them.

‘...Right. Ryo-san, you are... uh-’

‘Well, it’s not like it matters right! We had some ups and downs together and I kinda managed to destroy their careers… Or so-’

An awkward silence followed him so finally Ryo sighed.

‘Do I need to go?’

  
‘YOU HAVE TO, COME ON! You are a manager, Ryo-san!’ Haruka stood up, his hands hitting the table ‘You will come with us. You don’t need to say or do anything else than your usual ‘Yes, we will be in your care’ and then go. I know it’s hard because uh-’

‘Haru, you are asking a man who literally ruined Trigger to meet with them and be nice to them’

‘So? We did the same, technically. Now we get along, me and Kujo Tenn’

‘Rather than being scared of Trigger itself, I heard that their manager is quite hell of a woman’

All of this talk wasn’t helping Ryo who was thinking of how this thing should go. Trigger, huh. What did he think when he booked that job for them? Probably he wasn’t thinking at all, considering most of the time he is tired and his brain isn’t working like it should. It was too late to refuse the job and causing any possible trouble for ZOOL’s future jobs would definitely not be appreciated. All he needed to do was to face his demons, quite literally.

‘Fine, I’ll do it’ Ryo finally said, making ZOOL go quiet again.

‘You for real?’

‘Yes. I could be either an idiot and hide behind your backs or actually do something. It’s not like this wouldn’t happen at some point right? The faster I will do it the better. Also come on, you will inherit my flat and money if I die today!’

‘Ryo-san’

‘Ahaha~ Fine. Let’s do it then, my little bears. Let’s face Trigger together, bow our heads in shame and…’

Ryo would definitely regret that command later.

***

‘Wait, so he’s not in prison?! How the hell-’

‘Gaku, quiet!’ Anesagi put her finger up to her mouth, then put her hands on her hips ‘I understand the frustration, I am quite angry as well. That man shouldn’t be allowed to walk around unattended by the police! After what he had done to you…’

‘I guess that explains how ZOOL was able to work even after leaving Tsukumo Productions. But why him, I wonder…’ Tenn was deep in thought. 

Anesagi just told them that their work today will be a joint variety show with ZOOL, however it wasn’t the biggest problem they were about to face. It was Tsukumo Ryo, who supposedly became ZOOL’s manager again after they left the label.

‘Somehow, I cannot see that man being all responsible and in charge of ZOOL. When I met him I-’

‘Oh right, you told us. You almost beat him up, didn’t you? Why did you stop?’

  
‘Gaku, come on! If I did that, Trigger would get into trouble…’ Ryuu already looked confused, but he couldn’t deny that he should ask himself, why did he stop.

‘Ryuu is right. But right now, he’s not the president anymore, right?’

‘He isn’t. That’s why Ryuu is obligated to beat him up now-’ Gaku got his shoulder smacked by Anesagi, so he had to let it off with a groan.

‘Listen. You can’t raise a hand at people even if they should rot in the deepest parts of hell. You are idols and you are untouchable. Your role is to get along with ZOOL and do your best at the variety show. Mine on the other hand…’ A smile crept onto Anesagi’s face, all of Trigger swallowing nervously. It was one of those expressions that the boys didn’t see often but certainly it brought a sense of dread and incoming doom.

‘Is to  _ gently _ remind Tsukumo-san his place in this new society.’

***

While ZOOL felt the upcoming premonition of something bad being about to happen, they were nowhere near Ryo’s level of anxiety. His driving had usually been an adventure for all of them but today they feared for their lives for real.

‘RYO-SAN RED LIGHT- You are nervous as hell, aren’t you?!’ Torao’s hand slid over his face, thinking that maybe it was a bad idea to sit on the front seat ‘If you are so sure you will die today, don’t take us along with you, I still have a reason to live!’

‘I AM CALM AS YOU CAN SEE!’

  
  
‘He’s not’

  
‘He’s definitely not’

Ryo grit his teeth. He suddenly felt like he was at a college again, right before his exams. He didn’t study that hard because he was usually above his class and had very good grades, however the nervous atmosphere that accompanied everyone in the end always got to him too. But now, he was the nervous one, spreading that terrible anxiety like a flu. 

They somehow reached the studio with everyone feeling as if they had a ride inside a washing machine.

‘Ryo-san… Maybe let Tora drive next time’

‘No way. I am confident in my driving skills but if anything happened to this car, Ryo-san would personally shave my hair with a kitchen knife’

‘Haha, right! You better not do anything to Riku!’ It already sounded like a threat.

‘This name again… Please don’t say it around Idolish7 or Trigger...’ Touma felt second hand embarrassment every time he heard about the fact that their so called ‘Mystery Vehicle’ is actually named after Nanase Riku. Because it’s… well, red.

All of them stood in front of the studio and looked at the building. If they didn’t physically push Ryo inside, he would probably stay there for god knows how long.

‘You are surprisingly stubborn for someone who is more than 30 years old- Move already!’

‘I am moving!’ Ryo of course, wasn’t moving on his own accord. Somehow, they managed to get into the elevator and press the button for the 3rd floor.

‘Ryo-san. I know we talked about this but... Uh-’

Ryo coughed and changed the tone of his voice.

‘’We know that you have a lot of beef with Trigger but you have to be polite to them and their manager, don’t try to make a scene, oh and also apologize to them properly blah blah blah-’

‘Do I really sound like this?!’ Touma made an offended face, making Ryo laugh. 

‘Maybe. Don’t worry though, I don’t intend to cause a scene… Unless they provoke me t-- ough’ Ryo’s mouth twisted into a painful expression. He looked back, seeing Minami smiling so sweetly towards him while his hand pinched his side with an iron grip.

‘Oh, we aren’t worried, Ryo-san. We just want to make sure you won’t experience your death as painfully as you think it may be. That’s why-’ The elevator reached the desired floor and the door opened. Not ZOOL nor Ryo had noticed that someone was behind them.

‘Who the hell do you think I am, Minami! I will do fine, just trust me-’

‘Trusting you may be one of the reasons why I have trust issues in the first place, Tsukumo-san’ A voice from behind reached Ryo’s ears and everyone looked at the source of it. Oh.

‘....’

‘Good morning ZOOL and… to you, Tsukumo-san’ Anesagi was standing there, hands on her chest and a glint in her eye that said more than it should.

‘Let’s have a talk, shall we?’

***

‘You think he will survive this?’ Touma asked in a worried manner while buttoning his jacket ‘She literally dragged him off somewhere and closed the door so loudly I almost could see the cracks appearing on the wall…’

‘Ryo-san should be alright… I’m afraid what will suffer the most is his mental condition rather than physical one. We shouldn’t resort to the violence, so Trigger’s manager won’t do it as well. At least I hope so’ Minami added the last sentence quietly and began to fix his hair.

‘Y-yeah but did you see her nails? They were so sharp. Almost like claws’

‘Trust me, those weren’t the worst. I’ve seen women whose nails were like swords’ Torao mentioned just to see Haruka going pale. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to scare this kid like that. 

The door had opened with a staff member telling them to be ready in about 15 minutes. Last preparations were done and soon they were ready to go when they remembered about one small detail.

‘Should we like… go to Trigger and greet each other?’

Everyone went quiet as they considered it. They had rarely come to greet other idols, too stuck in their fantasy of rebellion… Wouldn’t it be awkward…? Touma got them out of their musings.

‘We will see them in 15 minutes but let’s go anyway. It warms the image after all, even if only for a bit’

Their backstage was not so far from ZOOL’s. After knocking at the door, Touma opened it and looked inside. All of Trigger were sitting on the sofa and looking at their phones.

‘Oh, it’s you. Come in, we have something to ask you’ Gaku said and put his phone down. ZOOL was offered a place to sit, but they could feel THAT gaze coming from their supposed rivals. Haruka despite saying that he is getting along with Tenn was still hiding behind Torao.

‘We came to greet you and-’

‘That’s nice of you… but maybe you can explain what you mean by this?’ Tenn’s voice was already showing the signs of upcoming questions regarding certain someone. Good for ZOOL, they already were prepared for such an occurrence.

‘You mean Ryo-san? Well, that’s more complicated than you think’

‘That’s not true, Inumaru-san’ Minami’s voice made everyone turn their head towards him. Touma blinked, surprised, as the man continued ‘It’s not complicated at all. We chose Ryo-san as our manager. He belongs with us. That’s all’

‘Yeah. Just like we did shitty things and try to redeem ourselves, he does too. He’s trying real hard too, you know’ Haruka’s voice was partly muted because he was still hugging Torao’s arm but his eyes threw daggers at Tenn’s analyzing gaze. Trigger didn’t know what to say. It was too difficult to believe that Tsukumo Ryo could try to change, but they couldn’t lecture ZOOL on what’s right and what’s wrong, even if it left a bad taste in their mouths.

‘I mean, we get what you think… He is weird and even we can’t figure him out sometimes. But we believe in him and you can’t stop us’ Touma’s declaration made Gaku sigh and shake his head. The room was quiet as both sides thought of things to say to the other one.

‘It’s time to go’ Ryuu’s reminder broke the silence ‘Since they won’t change their minds, we can as well drop this topic’

‘You sure, Ryuu? You had beef with him’

‘I’m not violent without a reason. If he tries something unnecessary, I will crush him into dust. It’s my duty to protect Trigger after all’ His words spoken with calm certainty brought a shiver to everyone.

‘Remind me to never get in your way, alright?’

Ryuu’s angelic smile felt terrifyingly cold for a second, then it changed back to his usual kind self as he got up and stretched.

‘Let’s have a fun variety show, ZOOL’

Torao quickly shook off the terror and straightened his back.

‘Sure. Bring it on, Trigger’

***

The show went without any problems with both ZOOL and Trigger having a lot of fun with it. Haruka and Tenn managed to do their parts without any problems, though the boy surely felt a bit awkward around his previous rival. 

Finally, the filming came to an end and everyone departed to their backstages, just to see Anesagi with a proud expression on her face and-

Probably their manager.

No one dared to question what actually happened, but ZOOL knew one thing.

_ /Oh no, he’s absolutely pissed/ _

They thought collectively, mentally nodding to each other. Trigger on the other hand looked as if spikes were about to pop out of their backs, but their manager just waved her hand at them, a smile still not fading from her face.

‘Anesagi, is everything-’ Gaku began hesitantly, but he got cut off quickly.

‘PERFECTLY. Right, Tsukumo-san?’

‘Uh… yeah-’ The man on the other hand didn’t sound very convinced, everyone could see it. Anesagi really lived up to her words about straightening him up, because Tsukumo looked like a house of cards that was about to get blown away by a gentle breeze. Anesagi smacked his shoulder, probably a bit too hard because Ryo had to take another step to not fall down like a log.

‘See. We are friends now! We explained to each other so many things and everything will be alright now…’

All of ZOOL swallowed nervously while looking at Ryo who probably wanted nothing more but sweet release of death at this point. They couldn’t deny though that seeing their once evil boss be suddenly so quiet and looking defeated somehow brought a strange sense of superiority to them. But it lasted only for a few seconds, disappearing as soon as it appeared. Anesagi motioned her head for Ryo to move. The man approached Trigger that was still glaring at him but soon their expressions have changed when he actually bowed in front of them. 

‘...’

They could see that Ryo struggled with voicing his thoughts. It still felt absolutely humiliating. He was someone who once had so much power and now he had to actually bow his head in front of 3 people that he absolutely didn’t care about. He opened his mouth but there was no sound, only breathing could be heard. Everyone waited for him to speak until Tenn snapped. 

‘We are losing our time here. If you can’t say anything, then there is no point in bowing your head in front of us’ He broke the silence ‘I don’t believe in your sudden change, neither Gaku or Ryuu, and it seems that you don’t believe in it either’

‘...’ Ryo still didn’t move, so Tenn took a step closer. Ryo lifted his eyes from the ground and looked at the small figure. Did it always look so intimidating? Even in his mind he couldn’t argue with Kujo’s logic. Deep in his core he was still the same arrogant, obnoxious, annoying person that couldn’t even say three simple words.

‘Even if you actually have enough guts to give us your apology, I want you to know that I will never forgive you. You were the one who came up with this plan and you had very dangerous people execute it. My friends, my fans, even Yaotome Pro suffered such permanent damage, I don’t think you are truly aware of it…’ Tenn’s hand clenched into fist ‘Even Riku got involved in your game. There is no way that I will ever let that slide’

Ryo finally raised his head, just to face Kujo Tenn’s angry stare.

‘However, if you intend to give us a formal apology, we will accept it. But only once you actually have the guts to do it alone, without everyone staring at you. Do you understand it, Tsukumo-san?’

There was no response from him, which Tenn took as silent approval.

‘Let’s go, Gaku, Ryuu, Anesagi-san’

Trigger passed by them, soon disappearing in their backstage room, meanwhile ZOOL took the responsibility of dragging Ryo back to their wardrobe and throwing him onto a sofa with a questioning look.

‘Well… there was an attempt’ Touma said quietly ‘It will get better next time, Ryo-san’

‘...Attempt? It was...’ He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t even say ‘I’m sorry’. His pride, as much broken as it already was, still didn’t let him reach that last step. Kujo Tenn was right, as much as he hated it. He wasn’t ready for it.

_ Oh, pathetic. _

In the other room, Trigger sat down with sour moods. They weren’t sure if this could be considered a victory for them.

‘Anesagi-san’ Ryuu asked their manager after a long silence ‘What exactly did you talk about?’

‘Oh, Ryunosuke, it wasn’t anything big! I just spoke my mind in a very specific manner’ She would skip a few parts that Trigger didn’t have to know about.

‘You know what though, Tenn? I think he will try to change. It’s just a work in progress’ Ryuu stretched his arms and started removing the costume. Tenn was silent for a moment before he nodded.

‘Tsukumo of the old would never do all of that for ZOOL’s sake. Let’s just keep him properly grounded first’

‘After that scolding he will be avoiding you like fire’

‘Good’

***

Anesagi’s heel was so close to stabbing Ryo’s hand that was on the couch. He suddenly felt so small, her presence was so overwhelming. When did she become like this? When he went once to visit Yaotome in his office she acted like an obedient dog of his, now it was a fierce beast that unfortunately he couldn’t talk back to. He would be /able/ to do that of course, but he learned the hard way that saying with no consideration would only bring harm. Right now, he wasn’t as powerful as he used to be anymore, so all he could do was listen… even if it was frustrating.

‘Are you done now? We already went through most of the points, Anesagi----san. Did you forget about anything?’

‘Oh no, I still have more to go if you want. But this is more like personal advice from me. I will repeat it only once, so listen carefully.’

Ah damn, there she goes again. Personal advice my ass, Ryo thought, not expecting the next question to come.

‘Why did you become a manager?’

‘Huh? Why is that? Weren’t you supposed to give me advice?’

‘Oh, I will. But first, answer my question. Someone like you has the least predispositions to become the pillar of success for your idols. You don’t know how to support them. All you have ever done was meddling with other people’s lives, destroying what was already put in place…’

‘Skip to the important part, will you?’

‘God, you are unbearable. Fine. Answer me then. Why are you managing ZOOL?’

Right, that’s a good question. Why did he become a manager? When he created ZOOL, he was their manager on the paper but he wasn’t directly managing them. All he had to do was to check up on them sometimes and agree for all proposals that people were bringing him. Read, sign, leave - rinse and repeat.

‘Easy, Anesagi--san. They asked me.’

‘That’s all?’

‘Don’t expect me to go on with a talk about sudden sense of responsibility and a change of heart because this isn’t something you will hear from my lips. Instead, all I will tell you is that ZOOL needed me and I needed them. It’s as simple as it can be. The end, everyone is happy~’ 

Looking at her face Ryo could tell that Anesagi was lost. She probably couldn’t process this new information as he could already tell that it was  _ unreasonable. _

He really began to hate this word, just like  _ image. _

‘What, surprised? Life is writing the strangest scenarios. Recent events pretty much taught me about it. Anyway, I will keep my word that I gave ZOOL and you.’

‘Fine with me. However, I am still not done with you, Tsukumo-san’

Anesagi, for once, had to agree with that man. Life was indeed writing the strangest scenarios. 

***

‘There you go, Ryo-san. We got you a set with this amazing new toy’ Torao placed the tray with a paper bag on it. The man quickly pulled out the french fries and started munching on them. Nothing tasted better after a long day filled with yelling and dread than potatoes fried in the old oil. Hamburger will be alright too.

‘Oh, how nice. Which toy did you get me? I hope it’s a good one. The playset you got me last time broke when I-’

‘Well, it wouldn’t break if certain someone didn’t sit on it!’ Haruka stole a fry from Touma, who was the guilty one here.

‘I APOLOGIZED 5 TIMES ALREADY, COME ON! I didn’t notice that it was placed directly on the seat that I was about to take’

‘That’s why you need to pay attention where you sit, Inumaru-san- ah. Midou-san, don’t push that directly into my mouth’ Minami made a slight pout as Torao tried to forcefully feed him a fry ‘I’m not fond of those fries. All I wanted was a strawberry shake…’

‘Nothing will happen if you eat a bit. There, open up’

All of them decided to visit a certain fast-food chain to celebrate Ryo’s survival after meeting with Trigger’s manager. Of course, they also got a long lecture filled with various gestures, yelling and Ryo being irritated.

‘I couldn’t see the recording because this pink haired witch kept me closed in that room for almost 4 hours! Next time I will make a complai--- mbhhh’ Ryo couldn’t finish the sentence as soon his mouth was filled with a cheeseburger that Haruka pressed into his face.

‘No complaints. Ryo-san, we appreciate you but you kinda deserved it. All of us went through this… Besides getting lectured for 4 hours. Sucks to be you. Also, you can watch the show on the TV with us later. We will treat you to popcorn.’

The man said nothing, just rolled his eyes and angrily began to munch on his burger. No one dared however to mention again Ryo’s failed attempt on giving Trigger a proper apology. They didn’t want to spark more discourse. He managed to take one step further, even if it was just a tiptoe step. 

‘Ah, speaking of recording...What is our next job?’

Once Ryo looked at his phone and ZOOL saw the change in his expression, they knew it. 

‘...Idolish7...next Tuesday.’

It wasn’t the end of this madness. 

‘Maybe… let’s get another fries for Ryo-san!’

‘I will pay. Be right back’ Torao stood up and went back to the counter.

It was actually the beginning.


	3. Kitten thinks of nothing but callout posts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka writes a callout post for ZOOL and Ryo. Rabitter goes insane.

‘That concludes our emergency meeting. Any other questions?’ Iori put down his notebook, giving everyone a look. Expressions of each Idolish7 member really varied, all of them had to process this new information. Iori’s eyes stopped at the certain redhead who didn’t look so surprised.

‘Nanase-san, you’ve been strangely quiet. Are you perhaps uncomfortable with the possibility of Pres… Tsukumo-san being close to you? If yes, we can-’

‘That’s not it. You said that you had no idea why manager actually agreed to let us have a program with ZOOL, despite such circumstances but… the truth is that uh-’

Riku’s answer made everyone let out a collective sound of surprise. It was certainly something that they didn’t expect to hear.

‘SO IT WAS YOUR IDEA?’

‘W-WAIT, YOU MET WITH THAT MAN? WHEN?’ Iori’s hands began to shake, his face looking so lost ‘Why I don’t know anything about this!’

‘Because there wasn’t a reason to bring it up? Don’t yell at me, Iori. I just thought that-’

‘Riku, dear god. Sometimes I wonder what is sitting inside your head and I hope it’s not a hamster with a red hat that keeps running on the treadmill’

Riku’s confused face made Yamato laugh, but he was quickly straightened by Mitsuki slapping his shoulder.

‘I don’t agree with the hamster part but you are definitely too good for that guy, Riku. He did so many bad things to Trigger and the others-’

‘I talked with him about it! I told him that I won’t forgive him for what he had done to Trigger and he has to be aware of it… but when I spoke more with him about other stuff, he was actually pretty normal? Also, he bought our new CD and asked me to sign it. He likes us!’

‘No, more like he likes you, actually’ Iori murmured, annoyed.

‘Geez Iori! Listen, I actually wanted us to have a job with ZOOL and I thought it would make a nice chance. We only had one shared program once and-’

‘It was a disaster as I recall. Anyway, how did you convince manager to agree to this?’

As if called, the door have opened and Tsumugi entered the room with her usual smile on her face.

‘Oh? Is there some gathering?’

‘Oo, manager. Good timing. We are like, talking about this ZOOL thing’ Tamaki mentioned ‘You spoke with that Tsukumo dude, didn’t you?’

‘Y-yes… Riku-san actually mentioned it and then I got a call from Tsukumo-san a few days later, asking about a possible joint job with ZOOL. Since they have left the production, most of our previous jobs got cancelled by default’ Tsumugi put down her bag and sat down ‘But you know, it was actually strange’

‘What was?’

‘Tsukumo-san was... nice.’

That made everyone go into dead silence. Somehow, it felt like a surreal thing.

‘I can’t believe this jerk actually changed. Are you sure he didn’t put anything into your drink, Riku?’ Mitsuki still didn’t look convinced of this whole ordeal. He kept staring at their center, but Riku’s answer was still the same.

‘He didn’t, come on! Also, I heard from Tenn-nii that Tsukumo-san came along with ZOOL to their recording’

‘And what happened?’

‘Uh… Tenn-nii didn’t tell me all details but it seems that he tried to apologize to them’

‘Did he succeed?’

‘No’

***

‘Be sure to watch us next week! We have prepared a nice surprise for you! Bye bye!’ 

The program had stopped, Ryo still looking at the picture displayed on the screen. He rewatched this particular episode many times in the past few days so he could have a better grasp on what was about to come. He used to watch Idolish Web Program even in his president days, but now he had to watch it for work. How pleasantly it sounded - watching something fun because it’s work related.

It was one of those times where his house was empty once again. When ZOOL wasn’t present, he used to watch programs on the TV in the living room - it was much bigger than TV in his bedroom. ZOOL was supposed to be back in few hours, so he had time for himself and Rik- Idolish7. It really felt like he was a president again and nothing had changed.

He didn’t notice that the player skipped to the next program, a familiar tune reaching his ears.

‘Who it may be~! A program delivered to you by no one else but true Ikemen!’

‘And true peach, that is. Look at his cheeks’

‘Oh no, I may blush even more!’

Ah. That voice. His eyes looked once again at the screen, quickly attracted to that person. Momo had a huge smile on his face and Yuki his usual aura of someone ‘cool’. It was the newest episode of Next:Revale, the one that Ryo didn’t watch. 

Or more like, one of the many that he had never watched. He quickly stopped the program and laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling in complete silence.

If he could go back in time, he would make sure to never meet Momo. Hell, if he could he would make sure that Momo would never cross any route with him, he would never support him financially, never let him give him so much hope and that feeling-

Despite so much happening between them and Ryo constantly feeling betrayed by this person, he still couldn’t deny that there was a certain place in his heart for that peach. They hurt each other, they used each other, they were a book example of something that could be called a bad romance, yet the man knew that deep inside he would still like to speak with him once again, maybe have dinner and just… enjoy time together.

_ You are an idiot. _

Ryo thought to himself and smiled bitterly. The person that got him fired from Tsukumo, the one that nearly got him a prison sentence and someone that he almost killed was still occupying his thoughts. 

Being alone in his flat again wasn’t doing good to his conscience. All he wished for was for ZOOL to come back, cause a happy commotion and fill his head with useless chattering.

Not with thoughts of guilt and bitterness that he refused to admit.

  
  


***

‘The police sure is useless in this country, but where else aren’t they?’ Yuki crossed the arms on his chest, obvious anger displayed on his face ‘Our president did everything he could to take care of the _ Happy Hour _ and yet this bastard gets a free pass!’

Okarin sighed deeply, noticing that Momo looked down. He knew that it would happen, after all the effort they put into getting Tsukumo dismissed from the position of president in hopes of him serving a jail time. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and Okarin had to be the one who delivered the ‘bad news’.

‘I’m sorry, Yuki-kun. My brother indeed took care of that matter but it seems that the evidence against Tsukumo Jr. wasn’t enough for him to serve a jail time or get suspended. There is still some proceedings going about him but… I don’t think it will change the situation. Anyway, he left the production completely and his idols followed him’

‘Hah. Is that so. Just when I thought we would get along with those kids. The very idea of seeing that man more often than previously leaves a bad taste in my mouth. What did he even tell them, why did they leave Tsukumo? Didn’t the new president give them a new contract and conditions?’

‘It was something that my brother talked with him about but… it seems that it was ZOOL’s decision to leave. Tsukumo-san apparently tried to make them stay in the production, but they refused and gave him the resignation soon after the new year. Around that time, Tsukumo Jr. left the custody and returned home’ Okarin said quietly. It was a hard talk for them, but they had to go through it.

‘So, Ryo-san is really ZOOL’s manager… somehow I can’t believe this’ Momo put his hands on his knees and spoke ‘He does know how to support others when it benefits his agenda but now, I don’t really understand what went through his head.. or those kids’ heads’

‘Do you think he threatened them?’   
  


‘No. As I said, I can’t understand the situation. What was the point of leaving Tsukumo if things were supposed to change for the better now? They would get a new manager, probably wouldn’t feel threatened or pressured by Ryo-san anymore-’

‘Momo-kun. I think you are forgetting one thing about Tsukumo’ 

‘That is?’

‘During the reign of Tsukumo Hajime, the company wasn’t doing the best. Despite the promise of my brother and other veterans to support him, it did reach me that he is still doing things his own way. Under his wing ZOOL would probably have a hard time as company’s biggest money makers. Don’t forget what this family was… and still is’

Momo and Yuki sighed heavily. Right. Before Ryo took the helm, Tsukumo was still known for merchandise-like promotion of their artists and treating them like things instead of real human beings. They weren’t making problems to the other companies and other talents than their own. Of course, Ryo’s big brother, Tsukumo Hajime had known about all of it. He allowed it and once they got into talk with him, Momo and Rinto knew that he probably wouldn’t change his ways this much. Okarin also knew from his talks with his brother that some stockholders were complaining about Hajime’s financial choices, despite them giving him advice. 

‘Okarin is right. This family is no good but we had to choose lesser evil. We are all guilty here, right? I guess ZOOL did the same. I don’t regret anything I have done, after what that man did to us’

‘Yuki… even if you say such things, you are incredibly hot’

‘Of course. Thank you, Momo.’ Yuki gave Momo his usual smile, but noticed that there was still a hesitation in his partner’s eyes.

‘Momo. I know this look. Don’t you dare to go and meet with him’

‘I won’t, I won’t! Listen, I will be a good Momo-chan! I don’t want to meet with someone who nearly got me killed right? I just feel like we should get some information from another source about that matter’

‘And that is?’

‘ZOOL itself. Who will speak up better than certain someone in exchange for little blackmail in the form of madeleines?’

***

‘We are back- Ah. Ryo-san is asleep again on the couch’ Haruka said once he opened the doors to the living room. Everyone already finished their job and could come back home. They grabbed some food on their way, also bringing a packed meal for Ryo, who was soundly asleep on the couch in the living room. 

‘Do we wake him-’   
  


‘Nah, let him sleep. He usually sleeps like a log, so he won’t even notice us. We can go to his bedroom and watch movies’ Torao put the packed meal into the fridge, while Haruka grabbed a blanket and covered Ryo from head to toe.

‘You are such a good kid, Haru’

  
  
‘Oh come on. You would do the same, right?’

  
  
‘I don’t think I would’ Minami chuckled to himself seeing Haruka’s stare and then turned his gaze to the screen. He grabbed the remote control and went through a few programs back, his expression unfazed.

‘That’s unusual. It seems Ryo-san watched Re:Vale’s program’

Everyone went uncomfortably quiet. All of them thought the same but no one actually ended up voicing their thoughts. Minami turned off the TV and motioned his head for them to go to the bedroom and leave Ryo asleep in the living room.

Once they closed the doors, all of them had unamused faces.

‘You know, makes me think. We haven't talked to Re:Vale since our meeting during New Years eve’ Torao began to speak.

‘There was really no reason for us to speak with them personally, right? After we quit Tsukumo Productions, most of our jobs got cancelled and considering Ryo-san is managing us directly now-’

‘There is no chance we will get a job with them. After all, Re:Vale did play a part in getting rid of Ryo-san from Tsukumo, right?’ Haruka sat on the bed and put his knees up to his chest ‘At least that’s something we heard from rumors in the company before we left’

‘Just when we were actually about to get along with them…’ Touma sat next to Haruka and sighed ‘Mina and Haru got New Year’s money, right? It was a really nice gesture from them. We all look up to them but now-’

‘It was before we got a full view on the situation. We were only told that Ryo-san won’t come back and we decided to quit immediately. I don’t know if they are aware of our situation but I wouldn’t be surprised if they already knew...’

Minami was lazily scrolling through Netflix’s main page when Torao suddenly sat up.

‘You know, guys… Since Ryo-san is asleep, let’s talk about this. I know we protect him now and there is no going back but did we really make the right choice going with him?’

‘We.. uh…’ Touma tried to answer but his thoughts suddenly became so messy. Minami also looked as if he was confused. He couldn’t gather his thoughts.

‘Look. Ryo-san was right when he yelled at us that day, saying that we are idiots. His so called 3 year plan would fall apart, that dude offered us a better contract and-’

‘You told him that you don’t want to sit with him in the one room because he is annoying’

‘That’s another matter! I’m speaking about our future here!’ The man raised his voice a bit but no one shut him up ‘Listen. We all agreed to this but did we truly think it through? Why did we decide to leave such a huge company and pursue our career with Ryo-san, who despite everything was still a shitty person to us? Was it just our whim, the heat of the moment or did we actually have a good reason behind this?’ 

It felt as if no one dared to answer. No one, not even the person that was outside their room, just listening to their conversation in complete silence.

‘Torao’ Haruka finally opened his mouth, making everyone look at him ‘I will tell you one thing. Listen carefully because I will say it only once’

‘Fine with me. What is it?’

  
  
‘You are really fucking stupid’

‘Wha-’

‘Haru, what the hell!’

The boy put his legs down.

‘I knew that you have a memory of a goldfish. You seem to forget about things that happened yesterday but remember something embarrassing you did when you were 12’

Torao said nothing, he just let Haruka talk.

‘Why did we do it? I will tell you why. Burn my words into those brains of yours and listen to me’ He raised from the bed and stood in front of everyone, so they could see him ‘We left Tsukumo Productions because Ryo-san is stupid’

‘Why are you stating it like-’

  
‘Shut up Touma! Anyway. Ryo-san is stupid. He did so many bad things, he was, no, he still is a bad person. Because of him many people got hurt, us included. That’s why he is so stupid. He almost went to prison because of that. But you know who else is stupid? Us’ Haruka motioned all of them with his hand ‘We are stupid because we followed this stupid man who gathered us in one place. Who believed his bullshit from the very beginning? Who willingly took part in his schemes? We are goddamn dumbasses!’ No one knew what to say. Haruka was right, even if they tended to forget about it ‘Remember what he said? _ I made you. _ That’s right. He made us. Without him, ZOOL would never be born and in my opinion ZOOL cannot exist without him. We could stay in Tsukumo Productions, become idols like everyone wants us to be, like we wanted to be… but also, Minami?’

‘Yes, Isumi-san’   
  
‘Remember what you said during New Years? That “we’re probably better suited for having some leftover stains", isn’t that right?’

‘..Indeed. I also recalled what you said, Isumi-san. That “we’ve always wanted to have some marks on us as well”. By that you mean…’

‘We choose what we choose. Instead of becoming clean and nice, we decided to jump into the mud alongside Ryo-san, who was drowning inside it. But once we were sitting there with him, it turned out that the mud hole wasn’t that deep from the beginning’ Haruka smiled a bit ‘Also, remember what we said at the very start of our career? ‘Even if the world is against us, we will stand against it’. This is why we left Tsukumo Productions. Instead of being an entity called ZOOL without the person that created us, we chose to step down and stay with him’ The boy puffed his chest with a small pout of his face ‘Or at least this is how I see it. Ryo-san may be annoying…’

‘Sometimes is still yelling a bit too much…’

‘Being an irresponsible adult as well...’

‘Driving carelessly…’

Ryo outside the door was ready to press the door knob and get in to stop their obnoxious and loud complaining about him but the next sentence made him stay.

‘This is still Ryo-san that scouted us and brought us together. For me this is… the best gift I’ve got, you know. Being able to meet you. Experience thrill on the stage with you and-’ 

‘T-Tora..’ The man looked at Touma who was already on the verge of his tears. Torao sighed ostentatiously but still laughed.

‘What? I’m just being honest. As Haruka said, we are all fuckin’ stupid right? But I’m… glad I can be fuckin’ stupid with you all. That’s it’

The man behind the door shook his head and left for his original destination that was the bathroom. Still, he couldn’t get rid of the smile that was on his face. Silly, little pets they are.

Everyone felt a bit better after that talk. There was nothing else to say, nothing else to add. Finally, all of them laid down and began to watch the movie that they had almost forgotten about. Their previous talk about Re:Vale would’ve basically disappeared into the void if not for a text message that Touma received from Momo.

_ /Let’s meet up tommorrow at 4 pm if you have time, Touma/ _


	4. Tsukumo Productions metacritic rating - 0.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't destroy idol industry unless you finish your backlog first.

It’s sure been a while since he saw those familiar walls. Ryo could feel everyone’s stares on himself as he walked through corridors of the company that he used to own. That’s right, he once again visited the ‘old trash’ even if he really didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t his idea to come here in the first place, instead he was asked to by a certain someone.

_/Do you have time tomorrow around 4 pm? There is something I want to discuss with you, like brother with brother/_

Hajime had sent him a text message the day before and Ryo had been incredibly pissed that he actually had some free time. The faster he got this thing over and done the faster he could leave and never come back.

He made it to the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the 10th floor, where his former office was situated. To think he used to come here everyday, using the very same elevator and then heading straight to the office like it was nothing… Now it felt like a bother. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to even see his goddamn brother’s face. A big CEO that he became once Ryo got dethroned - he wouldn’t be able to even move his finger if not for the other agencies and offices that planned things behind Ryo’s back, hell, even his own employees took part in it. He was aware of this, there are always wolves amongst sheeps, but recalling the events that took place 2 months ago was still making him angry. 

In the end though, maybe it was a good thing that he had left this shitty place. Previously, he was really happy to overtake the company, become a president and manage everything to fit his desires, but now? He’d rather stay where he is. There are still many responsibilities that Ryo has on his back as a manager but there are surely less of them than previously… and the best part, he doesn’t need to walk everywhere in a suit! 

Today, he decided to wear something more comfortable - after moving in, ZOOL completely turned his wardrobe upside down and gave him some advice. They were also impressed by the amount of watches that he had, he simply liked to collect them-

Though, he had to get rid of some of them in the end due to what he called ‘unforseen budget cuts’. 

Finally, the elevator had stopped. Ryo left it and took a turn left. He saw some of his former employees, his eyes stopping at one of them.

‘T-Tsukumo-sa…’

  
‘Oh, it’s you. Mister... What was your name again? Ah yes. Got the hell out of our company, was it? How’s wife and kids?’ Ryo asked sarcastically, noticing how the man's face suddenly became red. Stupid idiot, the man thought ‘Is my brother... Oh wait. PRESIDENT TSUKUMO in the office?’ 

The employees looked at each other nervously, one of them nodding.

‘He is... waiting for you, sir’

‘Ah good. I’d rather not stand here for too long with you. After all, you may catch something bad from me, don’t you think?’ He laughed and pressed the door knob, not even knocking on the door. Once he was gone, the people outside sighed in relief.

‘I… really hope the President is going to convince that bastard to do it. We will be in very-’

‘Shh! Don’t say it. He will be fine. In the worst case, we may see that idiot again but this time as our colleague…’

Ryo looked at the office and- oh. Haruka was right. It did change a bit. First thing was indeed, no gaming consoles present. The couch had a different color and led lights inside cabinets were changed as well. However, what hit him the most was-

‘Ryo. You are on time, good’ A voice broke the silence and finally their eyes met.

Tsukumo Hajime was sitting on the place that Ryo used to call his own before. Hajime, just like his younger brother, had a sharp gaze and small, golden eyes that were staring deeply at him.

‘Thanks, I didn’t want to come at all’ Ryo answered and dropped himself onto the couch. The older man took some papers out of his desk and soon joined Ryo at the table, sitting in front of him. One closer look at him could tell former Tsukumo president one.

_/He’s sweating like a pig. Something big is about to happen, huh/_

‘The fish’’

‘What?’

‘What did you do to the fishes and aquarium in the corner? It’s gone’ Ryo motioned his head in that direction ‘Don’t tell me you had a feast out of them once I was taken by those sad detectives. Yet, that’s something I would expect you to do, big brother’

‘I had a person do some reconstructions to my office, that’s all. I thought aquarium was unnecessary, just like the amount of gadgets that you kept here during your stay’

Ryo narrowed his eyes. 

‘My workspace unlike yours wasn’t just a copy of typical attorney office. All you need is golden scale of Ms. Justice on your desk and you are ready to scream objection at anyone who doesn’t agree with your ideas-’

‘Be quiet, will you? You aren’t a child anymore, Ryo. Behave like an adult that you are. There is a matter I want to discuss with you and it’s important for the future of my company’

Ryo somehow didn’t want to hear any of those, but curiosity was slowly building in the back of his head. 

‘Oh, but why discuss this with me? Didn’t my former employees and new veteran talents, stockholders and agencies promise to support you? Was that all but a big talk to get me fired?’ He raised his voice a bit, noticing that his brother began to become uneasy. Right, he didn’t forget the fact that Hajime was someone who couldn’t really argue with anyone from his family, nor with Ryo. 

‘It’s not something I can discuss with them. I will go to the point’ He dropped the papers on the desk and shoved them in Ryo’s direction, who quickly took them in his hands and began to look through them.

‘Contract for ZOOL? Ah, the one they didn’t want to accept?’ He asked, but he couldn’t hide a smirk that appeared on his face ‘I heard interesting things about you from Torao and others. Anyway, why are you showing me that?’

Long silence between them was finally broken as Hajime sighed.

‘Ryo. It’s not an order from the president of Tsukumo company or any of your higher-ups. It’s a request from your brother’ He began to speak, forming words carefully. Soon, it became clear to Ryo why his brother had called him here and what he wanted. It was so obvious, right?

‘I want you to convince ZOOL to come back to Tsukumo Productions’

***

‘There you are. I thought you wouldn’t come. It would break Momo-chan’s heart, you know!’ Momo said and winked at Touma, who answered him with a smile on his face.

‘Don’t worry, Momo-san. I would keep my word. So, where are we going?’

‘This place!’ Momo pointed at the cafe a few steps away ‘This is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It’s very discreet and hidden from everyday’s commotion’

‘I see. Let’s go then’

Touma already knew what Momo meant by discreet and hidden. Good thing he came prepared for this meeting. Once they took their places and ordered drinks, Momo’s gaze quickly turned into stern one.

‘Touma. I will be perfectly honest with you.’

‘I know. Fire your shots, Momo-san.’

Momo sighed and put his hands on the table.

‘I am very disappointed in the choice ZOOL has taken’

‘I know.’

‘You aren’t angry?’

‘I am not. We kinda accepted it already, all of us and Ryo-san. Though, I will be perfectly honest with you as well, Momo-san.’

‘Fine with me. What is it?’

‘Your name, as well as Re:Vale, has become quite a taboo in our circle’ Touma said a bit hesitantly ‘However don’t take it the wrong way! We don’t think you are bad or something. It’s just-’

‘Ryo-san’s comfort and wellbeing? I can kinda see that. You left the company for him from what I have heard.’

‘Indeed. I’m sure you have full information about everything, so why did you call me here today?’

Momo hummed quietly. So it was true that they left Tsukumo on their own and followed Ryo-san. Somehow, the man couldn’t wrap his head around this, so maybe hitting another landmine would work.

‘Because I don’t get you. Ryo-san is by all means not a good person. He hurt many, including you. I’ve known him longer than you all, yet you seem to act like you know all of him and thus you helped him to get out of trouble-’

‘Momo-san. With all respect that I have for you and Yuki-san, I’d like to ask you to not stick your noses into this’ Touma said that, noticing how quickly Momo’s expression turned into surprised one. He himself got surprised at his own words, but he had to continue ‘We are… aware of Ryo-san’s deeds. We are no saints either but we don’t want to act like we suddenly decided to forget about what happened between us. You are right, you’ve known Ryo-san for a longer time than us and I respect it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn about him until we know him as well as you do. If you called me today just to lecture me, then I…’

‘That look in your eyes…’ Momo stared at him a bit and then laughed ‘You were really about to say ‘I will leave you here and never come back!’, weren’t you?’

Touma’s serious face turned back into an embarrassed one. Goddamit, what did he say out of a sudden!

‘I’m uh… I’m sorry, Momo-san. I meant-’

‘I know, I know. I should be the one to apologize. I kinda tested your reaction.’

The waiter brought their orders and Touma noticed that Momo ordered madeleines. He didn’t pay attention beforehand, so he was surprised when the man pushed some of them in his direction.

‘There you go. Apology gift.’

‘Momo-san…’

‘Listen Touma. I don’t want to have a beef with ZOOL itself just because you choose to keep Ryo-san despite getting a chance to break away from him. I somehow couldn’t believe that you would be this faithful to him but I guess I was wrong’

‘I-I feel the same, Momo-san. We don’t want to make any more enemies in the industry or try to use scandals or anything. We don’t have such power, neither Ryo-san does… And to be honest, I don’t want anyone to suffer anymore.’

‘What about him?’

‘Ryo-san is… trying his hardest. I know, it may not sound plausible to you but we do see him everyday because we live together and-’

Touma noticed how a piece of cookie fell out of Momo’s mouth, his expression beyond shocked.

‘...M-Momo-san?’

‘Wait. Wait, rewind this part!’ The man put his cookies down and wiped his mouth ‘AGAIN!’

‘Uh. Ryo-san is trying his-’

‘NOT THAT ONE! We ‘live’ together?’

‘Ah, right. We kinda live in one flat now’ Touma said as if it wasn’t anything extraordinary but judging by Momo’s expression, it was probably something beyond his comprehension.

‘...The same flat in Ginza?’

  
  
‘Yes, that one.’

It seemed like Momo’s mind needed to process this thought. Touma could see those gears malfunction at the sole thought of ‘someone living with Ryo-san’. Finally, his thought process ended and Momo took Touma’s hands in his own, his gaze serious.

‘Touma, if you need a place to stay you can live at my house, you know.’

‘Eh! But it was our own decision?’

_IT WAS THEIR OWN DECISION,_ echoed in Momo’s head as if Touma yelled those words while standing on the top of the cliff.

‘Y...You are scaring me, you know. ZOOL is too powerful.’

‘What is that supposed to mean!’

Momo laughed at Touma’s offended expression.

‘You know. I never expected to hear words like ‘We are living together’ when it’s related to Ryo-san. It feels like a surreal experience to me’

‘It sometimes is, I do admit…’

‘Does he refuse to do his laundry-’

‘That’s Tora and- I won’t answer any more questions like this!’

***

‘Convince ZOOL to... come back? What do you mean by it?’ Ryo asked quietly, seeing how his brother probably struggled a lot with asking that specific question. Somehow, he couldn’t believe that he heard such a ‘nice’ request from him.

‘Yes. I did make a mistake to let them go off so easily. I think you made a good choice by establishing a group like this. However I didn’t expect them to give me a resignation so quickly, despite giving them a new contract’

‘Hooh, I see. Why should I agree to that deal?’

‘I will bring you back to Tsukumo. I don’t say that you are innocent and you know what you have done, but if you only agree, I will do everything to convince my partners to bring you back. You could still manage ZOOL here and do your job under our label’ Hajime continued, a gentle smile appearing on his face ‘We can forget about that small mistake of ours and work together, like we should. We are a family, right? I won’t make the same mistake as father and ridicule you’

‘You intend to help me?’

‘I do. I… decided that maybe it’s time to bury our war axe and start anew. Not only Tsukumo Company but also our relationship. What about that, Ryo?’ Hajime reached his hand towards his little brother, waiting for him to grasp it.

  
  


Ryo kept staring at his brother in complete silence, soon his hand slowly reaching towards Hajime’s. He could see a change in his older brother’s eyes, a small blink appearing.

_How._

_Funny._

In a split moment, Ryo grabbed the coffee table and with full force, he flipped it, causing Hajime to fall down from his seat onto his ass. All belongings that were on the table, including documents, glasses and remote controls scattered around, causing a huge mess. It seemed like the older man was in deep shock, because he didn’t contact anything for a while. Ryo kicked the seat that Hajime was sitting on out of his way and bent over him.

‘Dearest older brother. I’m afraid I have to diagnose you with a disease called being a fucking idiot’ The man smirked towards his older brother, once he saw his flabbergasted expression.

‘R...Ryo-’

‘I will tell you a sad tale older brother! See, there was a boy who really wanted to be loved, you know! However, it seems that the boy was cursed by a black sun since his very birth, because despite him not doing anything, no one paid attention to him or even thought he was different, disgusting. Why was he born if no one was bound to love him, you ask? Neither the boy knew…’ Ryo narrowed his eyes ‘He was not interested in family business, nor was he allowed to make a step into it. Everything was kept behind his back, like the finest chest of secrets that he couldn’t access. Why was he so different? That didn’t matter in the end. The family kept neglecting him. Once, they told him to go to a concert of a popular idol…’ He got onto the same level as his brother ‘But you know what? It didn’t do shit. The idol didn’t move his soul, like others told him it would. That idol was nothing and he disappeared like a midsummer dream. Poof. There he goes. The boy was sad, but at this point, nothing bothered him anymore. He just continued to wander around, without a specific target in his mind. Once he was done with school and college like a proper son, he decided to try something new. He got involved himself with reaaally bad company, but they liked him. They were the same, rotten from inside. Ah, how nice it felt to be around people that understood him for once…! Yet at this point, the boy knew that his life was just like waiting inside a sewer for rainwater to drown him and ultimately kill him. A slow death for someone as pitiful as him.’

Hajime had no idea what his brother was talking about at this point. He knew that Ryo was insane, but he never truly experienced a sight like this. So that was exactly what his younger brother was?

‘But you know. The boy met another idol. That idol was sooo nice and soo energetic, he even gave him a bit of money and organic vegetables. How funny it was to hear that his partner was eating dandelions from the park! However, that idol was also no good. He betrayed his expectations and the boy got very sad. Any of them were no good. Idols were fake, the boy thought, let’s destroy them, the boy thought!’

‘R...Ryo-’

‘That’s why! The boy decided that he will create idols. The ones that will destroy others and show everyone how bad this entertainment industry is. He would make idols so good it would cause a mess and have everyone want to possess them… Even if they were just a small place of land that could block the entire industry. How funny it was, to be an owner of something so small yet so powerful? Ah, it felt so good you know... It still does, Hajime’

Ryo laughed at his brother’s face changing from shocked to angry.

‘Y...You…’

‘You wouldn’t ridicule me like mommy and daddy did? You? A person that did nothing to prove themself? All you did was being born. All you needed to do to be loved and appreciated was just getting born!’ He stood up and took the contract that Hajime handed him previously ‘Do you want to know how that boy’s story ended? It actually has a very good ending! The idols that were once set for destruction actually managed to change his cold heart! They gave him much more than any idol or even his own family did… That’s why…’ Ryo ripped the contract to the shreds and threw it into Hajime’s face.

‘Ah…-’

‘I won’t give ZOOL to you. They are my idols that I have created. They are the ones who decided that giving me a chance is actually gonna help me… And so they did. I’d be an idiot if I took your words as true and came back to this shithole excuse of a company that you want to hold… Or soon, you may not even hold it anymore?’ He laughed wholeheartedly ‘After all, coming to me and asking me to give you back idols that made the biggest profit in the last few years can mean only one thing, doesn’t it, big brother!’

Finally, Hajime stood up, fixed his suit and gave Ryo a stern expression.

‘Right. Now I know why our parents have ridiculed you for so long and told me to stay away from you. You were truly a cursed child’

‘Ah how delightful it is to hear you finally spit poison out of your mouth. Tell me more, tell me how bad I am!’

‘I won’t entertain someone like you. It was a bad idea to ask you to cooperate’

‘So? You will force me? Ah wait…’ Ryo gave him a wide smile ‘You can’t, right? After all, getting rid of me forced certain conditions onto you’

Ah there it is. Observing his brother’s body language was sure useful, he was glad that he actually didn’t skip on those. Having a good eye for your opponent’s body language is not only a key to success in business relations but also to see things that others may not.

‘You are so basic it’s funny. Fine, let me tell you how it went - Old Hoshikage, Okazaki office and the others gave you a condition that once you overtake my place, you cannot repeat my so called ‘mistakes’. Which means using scandals, twisting showbusiness to your likes and-’ 

‘...’

‘Do I need to say it? I guess not. You can spread rumors about me, you can destroy me personally, I don’t care anymore… HOWEVER!’

Ryo approached his brother once more and grabbed him by his tie, hard enough to choke him and whispered.

‘If you try to do anything to ZOOL, I won’t hesitate this time and willingly turn myself in after I will rip your hands and arms out of your body. Do you understand it, _President Tsukumo_ ~?’ He pushed him away and took the jacket that he left on the couch.

‘W-wait! I am not done with you-’

‘But I am. I refuse to speak with you any further. I’d rather not take advice or cooperate with people that I hate…Ah wait. There was one person’

‘Hah!? You idiot… You are nothing at this point, don’t you get it?! I am offering you a chance and you are throwing it away?!’

‘I am. You know, once someone I reaaally hate said that even if you lose everything and have to start from the scratch, it won’t kill you'

'And... why do you hate them?!'

Ryo turned his back on Hajime and laughed bitterly.

'Because they were right. Bye bye, big brother. May we never see each other again.'

***

Ryo stood in front of Tsukumo Productions and stared at the sky. It was already so dark and the stars were barely visible. He had smiled to himself and began to walk towards the busier alleys. 

Adrenaline was slowly wearing off itself out of his veins, tiredness overlapping him. Perhaps he overdramatized a whole thing, but it felt good to finally tell his brother what he thought about this whole business. He took a turn into one alley, reaching a bit calmer district. Lights and music coming from the shops sure gave it a nice atmosphere.

Ah, he was so hungry, he suddenly thought. The smell of fried noodles from the nearest yatai reached his nose and this is where he directed his step, not even noticing a certain dark red haired person approaching him.

‘Ryo-san? What are you doing here?’ The man turned around to see Touma who appeared out of nowhere. He was carrying a paper bag from a cake shop that Ryo used to know.

‘I was visiting someone. Good thing it’s over though. I could ask the same about you, Touma’

‘I was… talking with someone. I was about to head home by foot, it’s not that far away from here’

‘I see. So we are the same~ But before that, you have to buy me those fried noodles’

  
  
‘Huh? But you have your own money, why can't you buy those for yourself!’

‘I am asking you’

‘Ehh, fine. I will get one for myself as well. Let’s sit here…’

Both of them got onto empty seats of the yatai stand. An older man with a gentle smile greeted them. 

‘Yakisoba for two please!’

‘Gotcha!’

Somehow, it felt like a small victory for a certain fox today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know who Ryo actually quoted when he said that starting from zero won't kill him? Our dear oceanman :^) I still think he has that talk somewhere deep in his mind and it keeps biting his ass.
> 
> Also, I wonder if any of you noticed that Ryo during his talk with Hajime actually made references to few game titles. Because Ryo had many gaming consoles in his office when he was still a president, I thought he probably played them while pretending to be incredibly busy. 
> 
> Anyway, references included in the chapter:  
> 1\. Ace Attorney  
> 2\. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine  
> 3\. Heavy Rain  
> 4\. Yakuza 0
> 
> I wonder if you can find all of them? :3c


	5. Sleeping Beauty and seven idols

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death by CV. Hiroki Takahashi

_Ryo knew he was going to regret this._

Taking up on Riku’s offer to have ZOOL appear in their program again was a good chance to boost their popularity. He was surprised that Riku wasn’t actually angry about the previous program in which ZOOL pretty much… caused a mess, as it reached Ryo’s ears. They were still untamed, the desire for revenge filled his little animals at that time, right! At that point, he couldn’t even bother because all he wanted to create was chaos.

Now, they had to work hard to make sure that they could secure a spot in the future promotions and programs. Ryo was aware of his talent for business but working as a manager made him realize he lacked in some aspects. He was successfully managing a company for almost a year yet it was completely different from managing people, which involved more consideration and personal contact. Ryo of the past would be terribly put off by that, however him now could appreciate it, or even become interested in it. He could finally see how things were on the other end of the line and what others did for him.

It felt exciting to do things with his own hands. This sense of accomplishment boosted his ego, which automatically meant it boosted his mood as well.

That being said, a program with Idolish could mean two things. First, he would meet with Riku again. Their relationship could be considered good, Ryo was sending him rabbichat stamps constantly and Riku responded to him!! How cool!

Secondly, ZOOL could score some points and have fun. Wait, did he really think of ZOOL genuinely enjoying their work and having fun? Usually, he didn’t see much of it, because he was busy doing something else, so now it was a good chance to have fun as well!

If only fate smiled to him when he actually wants it.

‘Ryo-san, are you like… okay?’ 

‘Huh? Yeah. I am. Why?’

‘Because we still didn’t move from the parking lot and all you did was closing your eyes’

ZOOL sighed collectively. Today was the fated day when they were supposed to record a new episode of Idolish7 flag program, their chance to redeem themselves for their previous failure…

But it seemed that things weren’t going to go as well as they planned.

‘You didn’t get enough sleep this night, did you, Ryo-san?’ Minami asked and sent him a glance ‘Or should I say you didn’t sleep at all’

‘What! Ryo-san, did you work for too long again-’ Haruka said from the backseat ‘We told you something!’

Finally, Torao rolled his eyes.

‘Ryo-san wasn’t working. I could hear him watch tv series all night long’

‘Hey, it was a very interesting series!’ Ryo fixed his bangs and finally started up the car ‘Though it could have had a better ending’

ZOOL sighed collectively.

‘Weren’t you the one who made sure we went to sleep early to be prepared for today because it’s recording with Idolish?’

‘Well, you are well rested and you will be the ones featured in the program so what’s the problem?’ Ryo finally moved the car and soon they were on their way to the studio. 

It was better to drop the topic of telling Ryo that he is a hypocrite but once he got into details about the series that he had watched, surprisingly everyone were listening. Apparently, the plot followed a pack of friends who went through various adventures, however one of them turned out to be an alien and he had to go back to his planet. His friends couldn’t live without him, so they organized a trip towards that planet, encountering various people on their way. They had to infiltrate the base and managed to do that with help from people that once they thought were their enemies. They freed their friend after a long fight and returned to the earth, just to face their biggest enemy - the BOSS (™). The ending was nothing but a big disappointment though. The big boss got defeated so quickly (just when he got his character development!) that Ryo felt incredibly frustrated while ZOOL listened and…

Felt a strange sense of deja vu.

Once they reached their location, Torao grabbed the wheel before Ryo turned off the car.

‘Don’t park it here’

‘Why not? It’s close to the entrance’

‘Ryo-san.’

The manager gave a long and heavy sigh and parked the car a bit further. They’d rather not let Idolish7 find out about this amazing car named after their center. ZOOL was afraid that Ryo-san wouldn’t leave this place alive. They got out of their mystery vehicle and stood in front of the building, the whole squad in place.

‘So, musicians of Bremen. Let’s do this’

***

‘ZOOL, you are here! Hello- Oh, Tsukumo-san is here too!’ Riku waved towards them as he sat on their usual sofa with Kimi To Ainana Night logo behind it. His smile was so bright Ryo had to take a step back.

‘Watch out Ryo-san. You better not try anything or Idolish will be sure to skin you alive’  
  
‘I didn’t plan to! You say that as if I was about to ask Riku for a date-’

‘Well, unfortunately that’s out of your league, Tsukumo. Riku is a hot topic right now. Stay in your line for a while’ Yamato spoke as he appeared next to them, and soon the rest of Idolish came to greet them.

‘Ou, ZOOL is here! Natsume-shi, good morning’ Nagi beamed with a smile, Minami responding to him with one as well.

‘Good morning, Rokuya-san. You seem to be in a good mood’

Torao obviously turned towards Sougo. Tamaki eyed them with an expression that clearly said ‘Stay away, dude’. ZOOL members quickly got into conversations with the rest of Idolish7 members, so Ryo wanted to take his leave and go to the producer of today’s shot but he bumped into someone. It was a small woman with blonde hair… He saw her somewhere, it was…

‘Ah… You are-’

It was Takanashi--- What was her name again? Ryo didn’t have the mental capacity to remember so many names, especially women’s names. He only recalled their last and only meeting in person, where he completely disregarded her, refused to take her business card and said ‘It’s a bother!’. He wouldn’t really mind bumping into her and ignoring her if he was still a President but now things were a bit different.

He wasn’t above her anymore, they were now equals.

‘Tsukumo Ryo, as you surely know. ZOOL’s manager’

‘Ah, right. We spoke over the phone. I am pleased to work with you toda-’ Before she could finish, Ryo pulled out a card and almost shoved it into her face. With wide eyes she took it slowly from his hands, noticing that his hand was still in place.

‘Uhm..?’

‘...Card. Yours, I mean. I will…’ He gave ZOOL a side glance, noticing that despite being so deep into conversations with the boys, they were still looking at him. 

They wanted to check if Ryo is gonna ‘behave’ around their manager after their first meeting fiasco. 

‘...Accept?’

‘Yeah. You know, business cards exchange. Our idols are in a good relations so I think we should too’ Or at least this is what ZOOL told him. He wasn’t really eager to get along with the other managers, especially after Anesagi almost ripped his legs off. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility of encountering Okazaki’s office representative or Momo himself…

Now that he thought about it, maybe he should try and get along with that little bird of Takanashi? She seemed to be a person that could be easily influenced, maybe he could pull out some profits out of this relationship?

‘That’s a good idea. However, you actually handed me your credit card instead of your business card…’ She took a look at the thing she had in her hands and indeed, it was a silver credit card. Everyone looked at them in complete silence, Ryo not even responding for the first few seconds. ZOOL on the other hand swallowed inaudibly.

‘It’s… gonna be a disaster, isn’t it’ Touma whispered quietly to the rest. They could only nod.

Yamato on the other hand whistled.

‘Tsukumo, that’s bold of you. Want to buy our manager? I’m afraid you can’t afford her.’

Ryo turned around, already about to say something when Tsumugi just waved her hand and said that it’s alright. She asked the idols to go and prepare for the shoot. Once they left, she smiled at Ryo and whispered softly.

‘We all have those days, Tsukumo-san. Though, I would gladly accept that kind of card as well’ She bowed, put it back to Ryo’s hands and left his side to speak with an another person. The man just stood there and hid the credit card back in his pocket, finding out that he didn’t take his business cards with him at all as well.

‘How did that end up in my pocket in the first place…’ He sighed and followed Tsumugi to speak with the others.

***

‘Kimi to Ainana night! Welcome everyone! Today, we have special guests over. The gangsters born in the darkness yet with hearts full of aspirations! ZOOL!’ Riku said with a smile on his face, gesturing towards 4 boys who waved to the camera. All of them were smiling, not really living up to Riku’s words about being born in the darkness. After all, their image on the stage and out of it was something completely different.

‘Thank you for having us again. We are pleased to be a part of it’ Minami said with his usual smile.

‘Yeah! Let’s have fun today!’ Touma beamed with a huge smile on his face, his eyes obviously looking in Riku’s direction.

Today’s program was supposed to be some sort of payback for their previous show that ZOOL wasn’t really proud of. They hoped to somehow make up for that fiasco and strengthen their bonds with Idolish7. Not that certain center and main vocalist needed their bond stronger though.

Ryo on the other hand was pleased to FINALLY witness ZOOL and Idolish together on the variety show. Due to the previous events he wasn’t able to pay attention to his boys. He had watched the show with them and Trigger from the last week and really regretted that he spent almost all of it being lectured by a pink haired witch. Even thinking about this made him shudder, he’d rather not experience it again.

Tsumugi sat next to him, watching the recording along with him. He hoped that she wouldn’t mention the card fiasco again, the man still felt second-hand embarrassment clenching on his throat. Sometimes, Ryo wondered if he started to lose his brain cells once he took off his business suit and stopped being a president… or maybe it was because he was tired. Incredibly tired.

Warm studio and comfortable chair weren’t working in his favor in that case. He tried to not yawn too much, but at some point his eyes just closed and he completely drifted away, all the sounds and laughs from the studio blending into a melody that lulled him into sleep.

‘ZOOL really changed… It’s almost like a different band than the one I knew a year ago’ Tsumugi whispered to not disturb the recording. She wanted to somehow start a conversation with Tsukumo. She didn’t know if he would want to speak with her but once she noticed that there’s no reply, she turned her head to the right and laughed quietly.

‘So I was right. People like us understand each other well’ Tsumugi stood up and approached one of the staff members, pointing at Ryo and nodding. Soon, Tsukumo was covered from head to toe and soundly asleep on the chair, while Tsumugi sat back in her place.

***

/Is he fucking asleep!/ Haruka thought while staring at the sight in front of them. When the camera was concentrated on the few members doing some kind of challenge, his eyesight went to the staff on the back, along with their managers. 

/He isn’t gonna watch us this time either as he is asleep. Well, sucks to be him then. You could concentrate on us instead of some bad tv series.../

It wasn’t the only thing that was inside Haruka’s head at that time. Considering it was the first case where Ryo pulled an all-nighter because he was being an idiot, not because of work, he was able to forgive him for that. Usually, he would see Ryo fall asleep on his desk or sometimes just ask for 3 cups of coffee at the same time. No matter how many times they told him to stop that, he would just laugh and say with his proud tone that ‘You would wither like small flowers without me!’. It was the truth, Haruka couldn’t deny it.

That selfish part of him wanted to have Ryo with them all the time on every step they make and praise them for it. He was thriving on the praise, it kept the boy going but at the same time, maybe Ryo actually trusted them enough to know that they don’t need to be led around by their hand. All he did was to make sure they know which path to take and push them towards it.

Wasn’t it always like this? It was just until recently that he noticed it.

/ZOOL will work hard for you, idiot. We will make sure that you get enough sleep and finally see us live. You better not be a living corpse next time or I will tell Minami to curse you/

‘Now, it’s your turn Isumi-kun. There!’ He heard a voice next to him and turned his gaze back to the others.

‘I’m on it. Prepare!’

***

‘Tsukumo-san… Hello?’ The man could feel someone poke his shoulder, so he wanted to brush it off but the blanket that he was covered with restricted his movements. He opened his eyes widely and looked at the blonde in front of him, who held a small paper cup in her hand.

‘...I…’

‘It’s fine. You don’t need to explain. Here, a coffee’ Ryo quickly put the blanket on the chair next to him and accepted the cup. Ahh, he fell asleep on the chair, now it hit him! 

‘The program?’

‘It ended just a while ago. ZOOL-san and Idolish7 went to the changing room to gather their belongings’ She mentioned. Tsukumo cursed under his breath. What a great manager he is, making big promises to watch over ZOOL during this variety show when he just… SLEPT THROUGH IT! Literally slept! How embarrassing. He wondered if the little bird Takanashi took a picture of him and posted it on social media with ‘Look how hardworking ZOOL manager is lol!’.

‘...Sorry about that’ Ryo murmured as he took a sip. It was quite a good coffee, not better than the one he has at home but enough to put him back on his legs.

‘Ever since I saw you I knew you were tired. I understand what happened so no need to explain yourself’

Ryo still felt like an idiot, but one thought was disturbing his peace of mind, so he had to voice it.

‘I appreciate that you took care of me instead of laughing but why do you suddenly act as if nothing happened?’

‘As I do recall, our first meeting wasn’t something I’d consider good. Actually, I was really disappointed in what you did and what you said about Riku-san’s family. Truthfully, if I could I would’ve punched you that time’

‘That’s brave. No wonder you are Takanashi’s daughter, you are as honest as he is’ He quickly finished his coffee and threw the empty cup into the trash can nearby. ‘Though, if you did that, I would surely consider suing entire Takanashi’

‘I know. This is why I haven’t done anything. I will-‘

‘Takanashi-san, spare me this ‘I will never forgive you’ talk. I hear it too often recently’ He sighed and began to pick up his stuff ‘I need to thank you though, for accepting the offer. ZOOL probably had fun, but I had no opportunity to see it because I… well.’

‘You are finally awake, sleeping princess!’ Their talk got disturbed by ZOOL appearing behind him ‘How could you sleep in a moment like this, Ryo-san. My heart is broken’ Torao said with fake sadness in his voice, noticing Tsumugi behind their manager ‘Oh my. You didn’t try to flirt with her, huh?’

‘Says the one who tried that, shut up Torao. Anyway, we are done, Ryo-san. We can go home now’ Haruka said ‘We will lecture you gently at home’

Before Ryo could say anything to Tsumugi, ZOOL ended up dragging him away towards the entrance and closed the door behind themselves. The blonde couldn’t actually hold her laugh back after witnessing such a scene.

‘Manager, good work today.’ Iori appeared next to her, his bag already on his shoulder.

‘Iori-san, good work! I really enjoyed your program with ZOOL’

Iori shook his head.

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it. It makes me happy, though I wish I could say the same about Tsukumo-san. It had been the most unprofessional behavior I have witnessed from a manager for a while’ He said with his voice sounding incredibly cold. Tsumugi’s smile quickly faded from her face.

‘Iori-san…’

‘That man was once dangerous. He managed to create multiple obstacles in the way of many people. However, what I witnessed today was pure stupidity and lack of professionalism. It was almost comically bad, something tells me it was only to make us drop our guards down’

‘Iori-san. Unfortunately, you are wrong in that matter’ She responded to him ‘I do know the risk. I thought about it when I accepted this job. If Tsukumo-san was still the president, such an offer would surely be accompanied by blackmail and display of power over us. I would never accept it unless I had no other choice’

‘I understand yet now, Tsukumo-san isn’t in power. Actually, he is on equal standing as you. There was nothing that forced you to accept this job, so why?’

‘It’s because… I felt that he wanted to do something good. When I picked up this phone call and heard him speaking in a different manner than usual, I knew something was up. I considered just ignoring it and sending him off but…’

Tsumugi had no idea how to describe it. Once she recalled their talk, she knew there was something in Tsukumo’s voice that called for ‘Please accept this job’. It wasn’t Tsukumo’s usual forceful manner, but rather just a simple request.

‘ZOOL helped us greatly in Northmare when we went there for Nagi-san. They managed to show us that things can be changed so I wanted to give Tsukumo-san a chance as well. After today, I saw that indeed, he is taking a good care of those boys’

‘Manager, with all respect… How is sleeping at your workplace related to taking care of idols?’

Tsumugi laughed quietly.

‘You know, Iori-san, it seems that Tsukumo-san still cannot balance this new lifestyle. Sometimes you put so much of your heart into raising your idols that your body simply gives up. From what I know, he is all alone in this, just like me in the very beginning when I had only you all, Banri-san and fath- president. I do understand that struggle, but it may be even harder on Tsukumo-san considering who he was previously. He was pretty harmless today’

Iori did his best not to show how much he wanted to roll his eyes and walk away.

‘You have a lot of faith in him. Just like Nanase-san’

As if called, Riku appeared from behind him.

‘Hm, what about me? Did you talk about me?’

‘Maybe. How is the rest?’ Iori asked, Riku responding that they are almost ready to go.

‘Anyway, manager. I hope that you are right about Tsukumo-san. Though I think he shouldn’t sleep in his workplace, no matter how tired he may be’

‘Iorii, come on. Tsukumo-san didn’t do anything bad. He was even quite cute!’

‘It’s so scary to hear it from your lips, Nanase-san’

***

‘This ramen is so damn good…’ Torao said in between slurping of the soup ‘You could tell us earlier about this place, you two’

‘I completely forgot about it. Mina on the other hand is eating his second bowl already’ Minami looked at both of them. His hair was carefully pinned on the side so it wouldn’t fall into the bowl. Combined with his blushy cheeks, Torao had to turn away, just to see how Haruka angrily munched on a piece of meat from his bowl and Ryo sat next to him with his arms crossed on his chest.

‘I still can’t believe you slept. YOU SLEPT THROUGH THE ENTIRE THING! You missed us doing funny shit!’

‘I SAID I’M SORRY!! Eat your ramen and be quiet already!’ Haruka and Ryo were pretty much growling at each other at this point.

‘Uh, Ryo-san… are you not eating?’

‘I’ve lost my appetite’ What a convenient little lie, Ryo thought. In truth, seeing them eat such delicious soups made his stomach grumble, but he managed to mask it. He didn’t want to look more vulnerable than he already did on the recording site, goddamit!

‘Hee- that’s so sad. This meat looks delicious. It’s so well cooked‘ Torao mentioned, putting one piece of it in his mouth, making sure that Ryo could see all of this.

‘Not only meat. Noodles are also delicious’

‘This broth is also really filling…’

The more they talked, the more they saw that their manager’s self-restraint was slowly breaking down. His face pretty much showed that he was already giving up.

‘I will buy you this ramen if you eat, Ryo-san’

‘…Will you?’

‘Of course. With this card’ Haruka pulled out a card that Ryo knew quite well, it was one of the many that he owned… Wait.

‘…THAT’S MY CARD! I’m already paying for your meal with my another one, where did you-’

‘It fell from your pocket in the car. What kind of idiot keeps cards inside his pocket anyway? Don’t you have a wallet?’

Everyone laughed and Ryo gave himself a fatal blow when his stomach betrayed him.

‘…Recommend me some good soup then. It better make me feel alive’

‘Alright!’

***

Few days filled with work have passed. Finally, on their day off Ryo suggested that they could do something fun together. Once they stood in front of the neon sign, they knew what he had planned.

‘...Karaoke?’

‘I don’t recall when we went for one’

‘We never actually did, Inumaru-san’

‘Ahaha.. Is that so?’ Touma put hands onto his hips ‘We are idols so we can have a bit of fun’

‘We are idols but…’ ZOOL looked at their manager who was only staring back at them.

‘Hey, don’t look at me like that! It’s really unfortunate that I couldn’t see you perform live since we left Tsukumo, besides that performance on BW and your variety shows-’

‘Because someone is actually doing their best to not see any of them!’

‘WELL, THAT’S WHY!” He clapped and pointed at the karaoke sign ‘We will go in there and you will sing. How about that? Let’s go, hoo!’ Ryo waltzed inside the building with ZOOL still standing outside. An evil idea was born inside their heads.

‘Guys. Are you thinking about the same thing as me?’ Torao grinned.

‘Absolutely, Midou-san. Though, I do not know what to expect’

‘Hm? What do you mean?’ Touma was still a bit clueless but it all soon became clear as Haruka walked towards the door and grabbed them before they closed.

‘Easy, Touma. We will sing for Ryo-san but…’ He laughed, an evil shadow appearing on his face ‘He will sing for us as well. Even if he sucks at this’

***

First few songs went quite well. ZOOL warmed up, all cocktails and drinks once again on Ryo’s pocket. They sang many songs, from embarrassing ones to some ballads and even screamo (Minami did a good job at this one). 

However, they never stopped thinking about their plan to make Ryo sing for them. Each of them wondered how someone who absolutely despised idols and wanted them to be gone sounds.

Will he sound bad? Does he have a squeaky voice? Maybe the true reason why Ryo hates idols is because he cannot sing himself?

They were about to find out. 

When Touma finished a song that had very obscure rap parts, he sighed deeply and sat down with a smile.

‘That was nice. You and Haruka really live up to your image of being the main vocalists of ZOOL!’ Ryo beamed happily ‘So, who is nex-’ 

Ryo couldn’t finish the sentence when Haruka shoved a microphone into his face, Ryo giving him a questioning look.

‘All of us already sang many songs, but you didn’t. Now, it’s your turn, Ryo-san. Sing something for us, will you?’

The room went quiet as Ryo kept staring at Haruka who was also holding another microphone in his hand, looking directly into his eyes. As if a small light bulb appeared over his head, Ryo took the microphone and remote control into his hand. He was searching for one specific song, ZOOL was waiting impatiently. How surprising it was when the song that they knew very well appeared on the screen.

‘Bang Bang Bang? You want to sing our song, Ryo-san?’ Minami asked curiously, taking a sip from his glass.

‘Oh, that’s interesting. Instead of us performing this song in front of you, you will sing it?’

‘Not alone. Haruka, you will take your part, I will take Touma’s’ Ryo said as he was setting up something before clicking on ‘START’. The boy didn’t mind, this song was something special for all of them. 

If someone told him a year ago that he would be singing with Ryo-san on the karaoke, he would laugh and tell them it is a joke as good as Kujo telling him that he will get adopted. Funny.

It was now the moment of truth. ZOOL knew that they would either die from laughing or enjoy Ryo’s performance, as satire.

Unfortunately, Ryo had a surprise prepared for them, the one they would never expect.

Music began to play, first notes hitting. 

_/Oh oh oh, we’re dangerous~/_

Something was wrong.

Haruka began to sing his part after _Are you ready?_

_/Tokai no neon ga giratsuku PM19:00_

_Sewashinaku yureru Stepping, Dancing, Tokyo/_

And then, it came like a thunder from the cloudy sky.

_/Ayatsurareru you ni sukuranburu kousaten_

_Karamatteku ito wo mite minu furi shiteta/_

Torao, Minami and Touma opened their mouths wide. No one spoke a word, not that they would hear each other.

/WAIT, WAS THAT RYO-SAN. THAT… WAS RYO-SAN?/ Torao thought as he put his glass down. Noticing how others also were completely shocked, they continued to listen to their center and their manager singing.

Haruka almost forgot to sing once his part came so he quickly looked back at the lyrics. That voice that he just heard without mistake belonged to Ryo. Once Touma’s rap part came, he was sure.

/That idiot… HE CAN SING!/

It made him smile broadly. Noticing how their manager’s eyes shined, he got even more into singing. They have done chorus parts together, sometimes lyrics switching a bit but in the end, he and Ryo gave the best performance they could. At some point, they even stood up and began to dance around, noticing that the man knew some parts of their dance pattern. Nothing could make Haruka happier than that, even the rest of ZOOL admitted it internally.

When the song ended both of them were breathing heavily, especially Ryo who had to sit down, but once the room went quiet and score was displayed on the screen, he laughed to himself, glancing at his idols.

‘Ryo-san. Don’t forget the most important part. We won’t let you out of this room if you don’t do that.’

‘Haha… right…’ Ryo raised a finger towards ZOOL, a grin appearing on his face.

  
  


_‘...Bang!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryo's seiyuu is actually a very nice singer, so I thought it was obvious this idiot can sing. Also, he is definitely losing his braincells when he got degraded to the role of manager.


	6. Napal Baji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Would you be an absolute madman and date Ryo?

ZOOL’s schedule was slowly getting a bit busier, but they still couldn’t say they had work overload, unlike their manager. They still had time for each other, while Ryo was taking care of everything related to sales, work management etc. Sometimes, they felt bad for him, knowing that it’s probably not easy but…

Now, they felt even worse, not for Ryo but for Touma. That was when one day, a revelation hit them.

***

‘YOU GUYS BETTER CHECK THIS OUT!’ Haruka slapped a photo onto the center of the tabletop and took place next to Minami.

Quick inspection of the photo brought a variety of expressions among ZOOL, but in the end all of them were surprised.

‘Isumi-san, where did you find this?’

‘In Ryo-san’s closet. I was searching for a place to put the rest of the laundry and I found a shelf… There were some documents in english and this photo’ He pointed at the man in the photo ‘This is Ryo-san, without a mistake. But he looks much younger’

‘Indeed… He is wearing a uniform, but I don’t recognize it’

‘Hmm.. I think I saw that emblem before. Though the picture is a bit blurry. However, I am more interested in-’ Torao pointed at the person next to him ‘This chick. Who is she?’

They all hummed in unison.

There were two people in the picture - one of them being obviously Ryo and the second person was a woman who was embracing Ryo around his shoulders. She had short, blonde hair and obviously a more european shape of eyes. They were both wearing the same kind of uniform, probably from some private school. Smiles on their faces were huge and considering the closeness on the photo, they were either very good friends or-

‘Hey, is that perhaps Ryo-san’s ex girlfriend?’

‘I don’t think this is his girlfriend… Ryo-san doesn’t strike me as someone who would willingly enter a relationship with anyone’ Minami said and turned the photo around but there was nothing on the back besides the date of printing.

‘What does it say, Mina?’

  
‘It was printed almost 12 years ago. At that time, I think Ryo-san would be… uhm..’

‘How old is Ryo-san, even? Anyone know? I don’t even know when is his birthday’ Touma had a troubled expression.

‘According to his ID, he should be 33 this year’

‘Wow, you know a lot, Haru’

‘That’s because this idiot leaves his belongings everywhere. How do you think I got his credit card last time? I saw his ID card as well’ Haruka said ‘His birthday is on 19th of October too. None of us actually cared enough to remember before, but maybe we should now, considering he is working his ass off for us’

‘That’s a lot of info. Good to know’ Torao snatched the photo from Minami and looked closely at the girl next to their manager ‘Speaking of, we really did see a lot of Ryo-san's sides that he never showed to us, don’t you think?’

‘It’s just like Isumi-san said, we never paid attention to Ryo-san that much. Now, we can watch him all the time because we occupy one space together. I do admit, I am sometimes surprised with how ordinary he can be’

‘Ordinary or not, he actually surprised me lots on karaoke! I had no idea that he was this good at singing! You remember it, right? The way he sang Bang Bang Bang and other songs’ Touma mentioned, a small smile creeping onto his face ‘I thought he wouldn’t dare to sing but it was a nice surprise. Once, I thought of Ryo-san as the devil incarnation, honestly’

‘He still is’

‘Sometimes, he is’

‘Especially when he finds out that you are dating Nanase. How obvious. We were about to take bets on when you two will get together but-’ Torao sighed deeply and looked at Touma ‘I’m afraid Ryo-san is about to skin you alive once he learns about this’

‘W-why are you putting this into such scary words, Tora. Come on, it’s-’

‘Touma, you idiot. Ryo-san obviously likes Nanase as well and knowing that you are the person that is dating his ‘dream idol’ or whatever gross description he uses, he won’t let you live. You will most likely end up tied up inside the bathtub, which as you know…’

‘Is for people who are so called “losers”. However, you already have experience in that, don’t you?’ Minami chuckled, Touma laughing nervously.

‘You guys, don’t remind me… I don’t even know what was the reason for the last time. I don’t want to sleep in the bathroom again...’

The rest of ZOOL didn’t respond to that claim as in truth, they had no idea why Touma ended up tied up inside the bathtub as well. Maybe it was better to not elaborate further on this idea.

‘That being said, we are just warning you. Though, I am happy for you, Touma. You finally became a man!’ Torao beamed and laughed ‘Now, off to the base 2 you go’

‘Ahaha- Sure…’ 

Haruka on the other hand had an expression of pure disgust.

‘You all are so gross. First Torao and Minami turn out to be together and now you too? Well, at least you and Nanase fit each other in that matter’ Haruka took the photo back from Torao’s hands. ‘But you know… speaking of that, do you think Ryo-san will find himself someone?’

Silence spoke more than words to him, so Haruka sighed.

‘Yeah, I guess getting willingly into relationship with Ryo-san would be a suicide. But even for him, that’s kinda… you know. Sad.’

‘Ryo-san never surrounded himself with any women during his president days, with the exception of Hanamaki-chan. Though, I saw more men in his office than women’ Torao suddenly laughed and grinned. ‘You know. Maybe Ryo-san doesn’t swing that way?’

‘Considering the circumstances, I wouldn’t be surprised’ Minami responded. Touma had that troubled expression again.

‘Swinging that way? What do you mean?’

‘You know, some people swing that way, others another. How do you like it, Touma?’

‘M-Me? I like it a bit high I guess?’ Noticing that Torao and Haruka were about to laugh, Touma had no idea what to say. Did he say something wrong?!

‘Oh, so you like it risky. You are a hardcore, Touma. I wouldn’t expect that from you’

‘Fufu... I personally think Ryo-san’s swing might be broken. It doesn’t work for him’ Minami mentioned, Touma opening his mouth again.

‘Wait, Ryo-san has a swing? Maybe he should get it fixed then? If not then maybe we-’

Everyone was already slowly losing it onto the table, with Torao hiding his face in his hands and then wiping small tears from his eyes.

‘Touma, I swear to god. At this point, you will never reach 2nd base with Nanase. You will die from old age while holding hands’

Touma’s face flushed, as he finally understood the meaning behind Torao’s words, all of ZOOL not being able to hold their laugh. Ah, how shameful.

‘Y...You know-- Maybe I will go to that bathtub myself...’

Soon, they heard the sound of the keys and the door opening. Haruka quickly hid the photo and ran towards the place where he found it. After placing it on the shelf and putting everything back into the place, he closed it and pretended to walk out of the closet with empty laundry basket, bumping into Ryo in the entrance.

‘Ah- sorry, Ryo-san’

‘It’s fine, little piggy. Though, I am a little tired now and I would appreciate it if I could sleep in peace. That should satisfy you, hm?’ 

‘Yeah. I will take your laptop as well. No working on reports until you rest’ Haruka snatched the bag from Ryo’s arm and closed the door behind himself. Ryo shrugged and began to undress, soon dropping onto his bed while wearing the shirt and loose trousers that Haruka left him. His phone pinged, so he picked it up and clicked on the green button.

‘....<It’s been a while, wasn’t it? So, you want to meet up tomorrow? I can’t wait>’

***

‘So, what else do we need?’

‘Some detergents from the drug store. Making laundry surprisingly takes a lot of those’

‘Maybe that’s because you add too much of it? You have this measurement cup next to the washing machine, Tora’ 

ZOOL had a day off today, so they could do some small shopping for their flat. It’s been so ironic that they used the word ‘their’ when in truth the flat belonged only to Tsukumo. They already considered this space their second home, so it was natural. Torao was carrying most of the bags along with Touma, while Haruka and Minami walked in front of them.

‘There is a store close-by. We can do the rest of the shopping there’

‘Yeah… though it would be easier if Ryo-san lent us his car. Why did he have to take it today? Anyone knows where he went?’

‘He said that he has some important meeting today. He even dressed up so nicely and asked me to help him with his hair’ Minami mentioned ‘He looked like a man going on a date rather than a business meeting. But as I said yesterday, I don’t think that Ryo-san would-’ 

Suddenly, they all bumped into each other as Haruka stopped in the middle of walking. A bag fell down from Torao’s hand, so he quickly picked it up.

‘Haruka, what’s wrong? Do you see Kujo Tenn around?’

‘N... No. Guys. It’s Ryo-san’

‘Huh? Where- Ah, there he is’ Touma was about to call for him but then, someone’s voice made them turn their heads.

‘<RYOO---- Oh my god, it’s really you?!>’ A woman approached him quickly and… hugged him. Now, it was Touma’s turn to drop all the bags.

‘W-wait. What’s going on-’ It was just a matter of seconds as he got snatched by the rest of ZOOL and they hid behind the small shop display to observe the scene in front of them.

‘Ah... that woman…’ Haruka’s eyes got bigger ‘It’s the same woman as in the photograph! That blonde foreigner!’

They couldn’t hear much of their talk, but they could see Ryo and mysterious woman laugh and smile.

‘It’s really her, holy shit… She’s gorgeous, like some sort of foreign model!’

‘Honestly, I’ve seen women like those in AV--- ouch ouch ouch-- Minami, that’s my foot!’

‘Oh is it? I’m so sorry. I just saw a bug there and I absolutely despise them’ He responded with a dark smile, Torao knowing that he had to abort the topic quickly.

‘Mm… I can’t hear that much but… they are talking in english’ Haruka murmured ‘I had no idea Ryo-san knows english but maybe that explains those documents inside his house…’

‘Ryo-san seems to have even more secrets than we already know. Should we get closer?’

‘Ah no. Look, they are going somewhere… Oh shit, they are coming here!’

With no better alternative to hide, ZOOL had to retort to hiding behind a small bush that was in front of the flower shop they stood next to. Just for a brief moment, it reached their ears - a fragment of the talk that would make all of them gasp.

‘<... afterall, we are about to get married, you know?...>’ Then they passed next to them, disappearing into the shopping passage. Once ZOOL managed to come out and apologize to the owner for ruining the display for almost 10 minutes, Torao spoke with a serious tone.

‘Gang. We have a mission. We gotta tail those two and find out what the hell’s going on’

‘Yeah!... Just one thing.’

“What is it, Inumaru-san?’

  
‘Can you… translate stuff for me? I don’t know english, as you remember’

‘Sure thing, Mr. Ken has a pen!’

‘Nnngh, you will always make me remember that time in the Northmare!’

Despite all of them smiling, a strange feeling lingered in their chests.

  
  


_Did Ryo-san… really find himself someone?_

***

The boys already knew things were bad once Ryo and a mysterious woman entered the jewelry shop. They couldn’t go in or stand in front of it for too long, it would be suspicious that 4 guys in masks and glasses are peeking inside and not entering. Though, it was pretty obvious that their manager and that woman were looking at rings. It seems that after 1 hour of looking into various models, they have chosen one.

‘But you know.. isn’t it strange? Ryo-san doesn’t wear any engagement rings, neither I saw him having one in the first place. It makes no sense to me’

‘You are right… It’s truly mysterious, but it seems that woman isn’t wearing any ring either’

‘Maybe it’s a foreigner thing?’

‘Touma, you sometimes say such stupid shit I wonder if you actually have a working brain or there is a small pup inside it, widdling its tail and running on a treadmill’ Torao sighed, Touma giving him an offended noise.

He didn’t deny it though.

‘Hey, they are leaving the shop. Hide!’ They all scattered around, each of them being on their designed post beforehand. Once they quit the shop, the woman clutched the paper bag with a logo on it and smiled.

‘<So, the main course is done. I’d like to get a few other things for the flat. I heard that japanese stuff is much different compared to the one in London>’

‘<London in general is pretty gloomy. British weather was not up to my liking either>’ Ryo answered ‘<There should be a shop that sells stupid and useless stuff. Perfect for you, isn’t it?>’

‘<Aren’t you a cunning man? I’m in need for some absolutely stupid and useless things. Let’s go, lovely!>’ Both of them went left, going in the direction of another shop. On the side, ZOOL was about to go through a seizure.

/CUNNING MAN??/ Torao thought.

/LOVELY….?/ Minami put a hand over his face.

/SHE WAS ALL OVER HIM!/ Haruka clenched his fists.

/I... have no idea what they said because they talk in English!/ Touma sighed.

They all gathered with lost looks on their faces.

‘This is… more serious than I thought’

‘Ryo-san is really about to get married to that chick, it’s not funny anymore’ Both Haruka and Minami nodded in agreement, Touma not being so sure.

‘Uh, guys but what did they sa-’

‘HEY! They will disappear if we stand here. Chase after them!’ Haruka told them and soon they began to walk, leaving Touma behind. 

‘...After that I’m getting a fucking english course, damn!’ He told himself and followed after them.

***

It was easier to follow those two once they entered DAISO. The shop was pretty vast, so ZOOL could hide behind the shelves or just pretend to be customers when Ryo wasn’t looking. Although he seemed quite busy with his girlfriend, they stayed on their guards for he would easily recognize them, given a chance.

Firstl, Ryo and the mysterious woman went to the kitchen section. She was looking at cutlery, clothes and other small things. Everything she chose was pretty cute, so Torao thought he had a clear idea of that woman’s personality. Once he got close enough, he could hear their conversation.

‘<That chicken egg timer is so cute!>’ She said as she held it up to Ryo’s face.

‘<You wanted cute things, so there you have those>’

‘<Do you like cute things, Ryo?>’

‘<My opinion on them didn’t change you know. But yours, I wonder?>’

Torao could hear her giggle.

‘<Oh Ryo. You know I do love cute things… cute and small things…>’ She said, a grin appearing on her face ‘<It makes me want to crush them under my heel until there is nothing left. Same with people. The cuter the person is, the more I want to slap their smile away from their face. Idiots!>’

Torao swallowed inaudibly. Oh dear god, she was _absolutely_ Ryo-san’s type. Soon they went to another alley, this time approaching the place where Touma was hiding. It was the bathroom section and she was looking at the towels and other things.

‘<Ah. You know, I will go back to the kitchen section, I forgot about one thing. Be right back!>’ Ryo walked away, leaving the woman alone with colorful towels. Touma was walking back, as he avoided Ryo who barely passed next to him and unfortunately bumped into their target.

‘Ough-’

‘Mm?’ Their gazes met for a brief second, Touma starting to sweat like crazy.

‘Uh… _sorri_! I uh-’

‘... Ahaha- It’s _daijobu!! Uhh-- shindekudasai!!_ ’ She said and laughed, Touma quickly ran away to hide behind another shelf ‘...<Wait, wasn’t it already _Kinishinaide_? Maybe I got mistaken…>’

Touma ran until he found Haruka who was looking at stationery. Actually, he found a quite nice rabbit themed one. He recalled that Izumi actually liked that, at least that’s what Yotsuba told him.

‘Oh, there you- what’s wrong with you?’

‘DUDE!’ Touma leaned against the shelf. ‘She’s crazy. No wonder Ryo-san likes her’

‘Why? Did you learn something?’

‘Not really but… she told me to die’

‘....huh?’ Haruka put down the stationery. ‘What did you do?’

‘Just looked at her’

***

Minami somehow ended up in the electronics section along with Ryo and that woman. By pretending to look at the headphones and other stuff, he could hear bits of their conversation.

‘<My laptop’s mouse broke recently. Cheap ass stuff, maybe I should get one here>’

  
  
‘<I mostly use touchpad. I have a tendency to lose stuff easily>’

‘<Ah yes, you told me. I do relate though, I have a lot of work too. Actually coming to Japan was something I wanted to do for a while but there was no time. Now I am glad that I’m here and can see you again>’

‘<Chloe, you are so nice to me! If I didn’t know you, I would think you think like that for real>’

‘<You really didn’t change at all, Ryo. Life really doesn’t spoil you>’

Ryo didn’t answer for a while, so Minami looked closer at them.

‘<Ah, sorry. Maybe I’ve said too much>’

‘<No, no. It’s alright. It’s just…life actually spoils me quite a lot recently>

She smiled as she put something into the basket that was laid down next to Ryo’s leg.

‘<You told me about your boys. ZOO was it? That’s original>’

‘<ZOOL! L at the end!’ Ryo made an offended noise, which made her laugh.

‘<Sorry sorry! Either way, it’s an original name, I like it. I want to meet them someday, you know. I hope you will give me this pleasure>’ She lifted the basket. ‘<Anyway, I think I have everything. We can go to the cafe now, I am absolutely starving. Any recommendations?>’

‘<I will look for them in the meantime. You need to try some japanese stuff after all! You will forget about Yorkshire pudding in no time>’

‘<Noo! Don’t remind me of that, haha!>’ 

They left in the direction of cash registers. Minami left his post and all of ZOOL gathered once again and to exchange the information they got. Each of them looked pretty much defeated.

‘Guys… Chloe-san really is Ryo-san’s girlfriend. No person fits his criteria as much as she does’

‘But he never spoke about her! It feels like they just met yesterday and told each other ‘Yes OKAY, let’s get married!’, I don’t get it…’

ZOOL sighed collectively.

‘But you know what that means, right? If she moves in then we need to get out of Ryo-san’s flat’ Haruka murmured.

‘Well… it’s not like we didn’t actually force ourselves in. We are pretty much intruders at Ryo-san’s flat’ 

‘Damn… Maybe he is actually angry at us because of it and doesn’t want to upset us?’

ZOOL looked at Touma pitfully.

‘Touma-’

‘No, please don’t say it again’

Torao slid his hand over his face.

‘Let’s go, gang. But first, let’s pay for those’

Torao pulled out a small set of penguin plushies from the basket. Each of them had a different color, actually corresponding to ZOOL members.

‘Fufu. Midou-san, I’m glad that I have such a nice man at my side’

‘Of course. Anything for you’

‘...You will make me hate the romance genre more than ever’ Haruka spit and walked towards the exit after he dropped something into the basket. Torao took a look at it.

‘...Haruka actually got a penguin stationery for us’

‘Aww!’

***

After spending some time in the retro cafe as their last stop, ZOOL was 99% sure that Chloe was Ryo’s future partner. They couldn’t make much of their talk in the cafe and they had to evacuate early, so they had to wait until those two were done. After Chloe and Ryo left the cafe, she looked at her phone.

‘<My ride should be here soon, Ryo. Thank you for spending time with me and showing me around>’

‘<You know that I owed you a favor for ‘that’ incident’, right? Now we are clear>’

‘<So you agreed to meet with me only because of that? Ouch, how sad. I may cry>’

‘<Not really>’

‘<Yeah. I wouldn’t cry around you, you would make fun of me>’

‘<Maybe past me would. Now, I wouldn’t do that>’

  
  
‘<Ooh? That’s surprising, but I’m glad to hear that. I guess both of us went through some life changing experiences. Afterall, it’s been more than 10 years since we saw each other last time>’

‘<Indeed, it’s been a while. But… I’m glad I’ve met you, actually. Thank you for today, Chloe>’

Chloe smiled at him and pinched his cheek playfully.

‘<You know, you are being cute so I have to torment you now! I hope you are prepared!>’

‘<Ow ow ow- Unfortunately, it seems your driver is here, Miss Bully!>’ Ryo backed away and massaged his face. <’Go. See you around, I guess?’>

‘<Of course! Don’t you forget about what I told you!! Bye bye, lovely!>’ Chloe waved to him and went in the direction of dark car, where someone was already waiting for her. They left soon after, Ryo taking a deep breath.

‘... You can come out, my little bears. I know you’ve been following me here’ Ryo turned around, hands on his hips and pout on his face. ZOOL hesitantly left their hiding place and stood in front of him, all of them wearing shameful expressions.

‘Ryo-san… we can explain’

‘Oh yes! I’d gladly hear that. Just because I assist you everywhere as a manager it doesn’t mean you have to follow me everywhere during my time off, you know!’ 

Oh man, he’s so pissed off, everyone collectively thought. Ryo shook his head.

‘We can talk at home. Everyone get into the car. NOW’

It was probably the most quiet ride they had ever had in their entire career. Not even radio was playing, no one dared to say anything or even breathe too loud. Their manager wore a strangely peaceful expression though. He was also the first one to break this silence.

‘Chloe would like to meet you someday, you know. She wants to know you better’

There was no response until Haruka finally decided to step out of this nervous atmosphere.

‘Ryo-san… Chloe-san is your girlfriend?’

Ryo hit the brakes so hard, good thing everyone had their seatbelts fastened or they would fly through the front window. He looked at them and started to laugh, making them even more confused than they already were.

‘Aren’t you shitty agents? Is this what you got from a mission called ‘Trace your manager’s every step and discover his secrets?”’

‘B-BUT YOU TWO! … I have no idea what you talked about in the first place, you looked happy though!’ Touma almost yelled. Torao joined him too.

‘That chick is hot as hell! She pretty much has your character! She was flirting with you!’

‘Not to mention, you two spoke of future marriage and visited a jewelry store. It looked quite obvious from our perspective, Ryo-san’

Ryo looked at them dumbfounded and then hit his head on the steering wheel.

‘Ryo-san?’

‘Fine. Fine. I will tell you everything. But once we reach home, This isn’t the topic for talking in the car’

***

Once they got home, Ryo went to his room and fetched some stuff, along with the photo they already saw before. Haruka actually admitted that he saw this photo before.

‘You touched my stuff without permission. I should actually evict all of you!’ 

‘We're sorry…’

Ryo brushed it off and continued.

‘Her name is Chloe Bentham. She was born in the United Kingdom and studied at the same university as me’

‘Ryo-san, you studied abroad? That’s new’

‘You know, once I didn’t get into the university that I got recommended to, I had to take another option. My parents were quite displeased with that outcome, so they sent me to another school. You know, rich people stuff’

Maybe it’s not a good idea to ask about the reason why he didn’t get into recommended university, ZOOL thought.

‘So where did you study in the end?’

‘In Kyoto. I went to the student exchange to the United Kingdom for one semester though. That’s where I met Chloe. She was in the same school as me, but she was my underclassman. She was one of my friends that I made alongway’

‘Wait. You ACTUALLY had friends in college? You and Haruka are similar in that matter’ Torao asked, earning a slap on the shoulder from said boy and angry stare from Ryo.

‘What is that supposed to mean!’ Both of them yelled, Torao quickly shutting up.

‘Do you think I spent my whole life planning how to get rid of idols and idol industry?’ Ryo asked but looking at their faces, he already knew the answer and facepalmed. ‘YES, I HAD FRIENDS IN COLLEGE. Happy?’

‘Surreal’ 

‘Laundry duty for 1 month to you, Torao!’

‘No, he will use all the detergents we bought in one week, Ryo-san!’ Touma made an apologizing gesture but Ryo crossed arms on his chest with a loud hmph!

‘We are sorry, Ryo-san. Continue your talk. We will listen carefully’ Minami reassured, the man coughing and continuing.

‘We both came from houses where families didn’t pay attention to their children. So you could say we had something in common. She had no respect for rules and always forced her way through things. She was kinda inspiring for me in some way’

‘That… kinda fits. You used to do that a lot’

‘Shh, Touma. And then?’

‘I was in the United Kingdom for only one semester. We didn’t bond that much besides doing some pranks and making trouble here and there. In the blink of an eye, I had to pack up and return to Japan’

‘So you didn’t stay in contact after that?’

‘We were writing for some time, but one day she disappeared completely. Maybe she changed her email or number. Who knows. She told me that due to some ‘family problems’, she didn’t contact anyone. My life took another turn as well and I forgot about her, I admit. I didn’t consider her that much of a special friend’

‘That’s… quite sad. But I wouldn’t expect more from you’

‘Thank you, I’m flattered. Anyway, I think she didn’t hold me in the highest of regards either. We were just hanging out, that’s all. But a few days ago, she wrote to me so suddenly and said she would like to meet again after such a long time’

‘So you agreed without problems?’

‘I did. Though, I was afraid it could be someone impersonating her, so I asked her about something that only she could know, confirming that it was indeed her’

‘What was that?’

‘Secret!’ Ryo made an X with his fingers ‘None of you will ever know, you already stepped with your boots too much into my past life, you know! I’m allowed to have some secrets, just like you do, right? Minami and Torao’

Both of them looked away as Ryo called them out.

‘It’s fine. I don’t mind you being together. We don’t have any contracts that forbid you from dating, especially each other. Just you know. Don’t do anything SUSPICIOUS under my rooftop and everything will be okay’

‘U...understood’ They were glad that Ryo didn’t elaborate on this because their manager is not the person they would like to have THAT kind of talk with. They were glad god spared them from this embarrassment.

‘...So, your meeting with Chloe-san today was what? You did so much shopping and even bought rings. What’s going on, Ryo-san?’ Touma asked ‘If she’s not your fiance, then what was the point?’

‘Easy. She bought those things for her future fiance. She is the one who is about to get married’ Ryo mentioned. ‘She came to Japan because of her work and due to circumstances, she wanted to come back to the UK prepared. Before you ask that question though…’ He put his chin onto his hand. ‘I did ask her out, when we were in college’

‘Y-YOU DID?!’

‘I got rejected’

‘That’s not surprising… I mean it is. You two are alike!’ Torao quickly fixed himself, noticing Ryo’s thunder gaze. ‘W-what was the reason?’

‘Oh, that’s easy. You see, I didn’t fill her number one requirement for a relationship’

‘That was…?’ Touma gulped, but he definitely didn’t expect that kind of answer that came out later.

‘I am not a woman. The end’

All of them went quiet, processing the thought. Like a light bulb, all of them made a small ‘a-’

‘...So she’s a lesbian?’

‘Bingo, 10 points. You have something in common. Chloe found herself a wife and she asked me to help choose some stuff for their flat they already share, because she doesn’t speak Japanese. I kinda owed her a favor from a long time ago, which I recalled once she contacted me as well. There, secret is out! You can consider your mission successful. Bravo!’

The revelation fell on them like a thunder from the bright sky and made them feel incredibly stupid. Stupid to believe that Ryo Tsukumo would actually get himself a wife or get himself into any kind of romantic relationship with anyone.

‘Don’t look at me like that. You really thought Chloe was my girlfriend, which I find amazing. In truth, I am surprised you were that concerned about my relationships’

‘That’s because we… don’t know about that side of you. We were just curious’

‘We still are, actually. Since curiosity is the first step to hell, let me get even further into the Hell’s circle, Ryo-san. Why did you never find yourself any partner?’ Torao put on a brave face, knowing that asking about such a thing is a bit risky. Ryo didn’t bat an eyelid and made a ‘telephone’ gesture with his right hand, putting it next to his ear.

‘Unfortunately, the person you have tried to reach is not available at the moment, please try to call later or never’

‘...Ryo-san, what are you trying to say?’ Minami said, ZOOL wearing literally ‘What the hell’ expressions on their faces. Tsukumo huffed.

‘I made such a genius joke and you didn’t get it! Fine. I’m simply not available. Not interested. Null. End of the story’

The boys made a literal ‘O’ collectively, because they finally reached the conclusion. It was really so easy and they knew it from the very beginning, but reassuring them was much better. Minami chuckled in the end.

‘See, I told you. Ryo-san’s swing is broken after all’

‘...Swing?’

‘Don’t start over, please. Spare us’

***

Laying down in his bed, Ryo was thinking of ZOOL’s dumbfounded expressions after this whole talk. It was still so strange to him that they actually tried to find out if he was trying to get into a relationship. Maybe they were just curious, or maybe they genuinely wanted him to not feel lonely and have a partner.

In truth, Ryo didn’t think he could actually enter any relationship at this point. He simply wasn’t interested in having that sort of feelings towards others anymore. He got his heart broken once and so far, it was enough for him. He didn’t need to go through it again, considering what kind of person he was and still is.

_That_ person was never meant for him in the first place, but as they say, love is blind. He was just so absorbed by his newfound feelings he didn’t notice that it would never work out.

No need to delve further into this, the man thought and closed his eyes.

He may have reached the grapes, but peaches were out of his grasp for all eternity.

***

‘<Ryo, you know… I could marry you. My parents would definitely love that>’ Chloe said as they sat at the bar, already 3 beer glasses empty next to her ‘<But that wouldn’t make me happy. I hate men>’

‘<But imma man, you know. We are friends or somethin’, so why are you telling me that?>’

‘<We are friends only because you’re stupid and that’s the only thing I like in men>’ She hiccuped and laid her head down on the table ‘<You know my preferences anyway. I won’t get married or have any children, that’s gross. I just wanna be happy, damn!!>’ She hit the wood with her hand ‘<How bout you? Any plans besides being annoyance to your parents as well?>’

Ryo looked at his half empty glass of dark beer, sighing.

‘<I dunno. Maybe I will have a nice life. Maybe not. Maybe I will end up as someone successful or someone full of regret. But all I want is just…>’ He didn’t end the sentence, just laid down his head on the table like Chloe and stared at her.

‘<My head feels so heavy, goddamit… let’s drink more, Ryo. Let’s forget about the shitty world for a moment. After all, it’s not us who is wrong but them. All of them>’

‘<...Right. You are right, Chloe>’

‘<EY, barman! Give me another one, will ya?>

Closing his eyes, Ryo felt like he was about to drift off.

_/World is being wrong… yeah. It’s always the world. I am not wrong. I will never be/_

‘Fuck my life, honestly’ he murmured quietly, letting himself fall asleep on the bar top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was probably one of the funniest chapters to write for me and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to give Ryo a bit of a backstory as well, afterall canon doesn't spoil us. We are slowly progressing with Ryo's character development and he starts to open up more to his boys.
> 
> Chapter's title comes from PSY's song 'Napal Baji' - I was listening to it a lot recently. It has a funky feel as well.


	7. Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I don't know shit about Kamen Rider but cool guys don't look at explosions.

At this point, Ryo thought Minami could pierce paper on the table with his eyes only. He had that kind of a stare that only mean girls would have, but in his case it wasn’t even that. He looked so deeply consternated after just hearing a proposal from Ryo that the man was sitting dumbfounded in front of him, waiting for his answer.

‘...I’m not sure, Ryo-san. Was it truly an offer that came for me? Are you sure it is for me?’

‘Well, there is only one Minami Natsume I know and that one turns out to be you. This offer is for you and you only. Why do you think so much over it?’ The manager asked while playing with his cup ‘It’s just voice acting. If we were in Tsukumo, I probably wouldn’t even consider your opinion in the first place, so look how nice I am! I want to know what you think’

Minami hummed quietly but in the end he only looked at Ryo.

‘I need to consider that. It’s not that I don’t want to do a voice acting job, but… this is a commentary for a bird documentary’

‘Well, yeah. I don’t know who got this amazing idea of an idol doing commentary for a movie like this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it just for sake of your fangirls watching this particular program. Marketing choices are sometimes questionable, but remember that they pay a lot for it. Like… a bit too much’ Ryo laughed quietly ‘It would be a loss if you refused, so consider it deeply~ It’s not the only voice acting related job that came especially for you though’

‘Do you like my voice, Ryo-san? Good answers only’

‘Oh, I loove your voice Minami! Especially when you use it to scold me for putting salt into Touma’s morning coffee’

‘Ufufu- I’m glad to hear that. Though, if I find salt in my cup at some point, I’m afraid Inumaru-san will need to make a place in the bathtub for you’

Ryo’s smile faded quickly from his face, as he knew ZOOL was capable of doing that. Before he could find any good counter argument, Haruka waved in front of their faces.

‘Hey, Torao’s show is beginning soon. Let’s go and watch. It’s gonna be fun, apparently’ He mentioned quickly and returned to the sofa. A microwave in the kitchen pinged so Ryo stood up and opened it, pulling out the popcorn. It’s been the first time he actually ate that kind of popcorn from a microwave. Convenient and easy, just as he liked.

After putting it into a bowl he went to the rest and dropped himself onto the couch, spilling some of the popcorn onto Touma and causing him to yelp.

‘Ryo-san, don’t waste food!’

‘3 seconds rule! Anyway, we are about to witness something nice, right? We have two important programs today, good thing I got you a day off~ Now, where is my “Thank you, Ryo-san!!”?’ 

Ryo made an offended noise when only silence answered him, Haruka just snatching the bowl with popcorn casually from their manager’s hands. Ryo tried to pretend that he is angry but it never worked on those kids.

They were all settled in just in time as the commercials on the TV ended and TV screen began to display beginning scene. Darkness slowly turned into light, with narration of no one else but Torao. All of them looked at man who wore a proud grin on his face.

‘ _... and this is why, I am here. To fight with those who cause misery, those who spread darkness across the land where I was born. I will fight for sole purpose of justice!_ ’ Narration ended and two people appeared on the screen, standing in front of each other. A hero and the villain. They were yelling at each other, speaking of their ideals and truth. 

Then the light once again overlapped as they were about to jump onto each other and the screen displayed the name of the show.

_‘K*men Rider Ultimax!’_

It was just first three episodes of a new season but they found themselves focusing so much they didn’t even notice when popcorn was almost gone. 

Torao was playing the protagonist of the newest season. Inside the TV, he was just a young man fighting for his own sense of justice in unfair world that doesn’t treat people he loves right. With power of his beloved, he could even move mountains.

Of course, there were also explosions, wild chasing scenes on a motorcycle and tons of shots of Torao’s handsome face - probably everyone in ZOOL got charmed by the scene of him taking off the helmet and grinning. 

It ended as soon as it began, all of them staring in complete silence at the end credits. Torao stood in front of the screen, puffing his chest and putting his hands on his hips.

‘How was that! I was the coolest hero’

This time it was him who got no response, just a deadly silence disturbed by Ryo munching a popcorn. Torao smiled bitterly.

‘Come on, say something! Even if you say that I sucked, I will be happy. I made my dreams come true after all’

‘Tora…’ Touma finally spoke ‘You were amazing. So damn amazing!’ He stood up ‘THE WAY YOU DID THIS- AND THIS!’ He made a finger gun and pointed it at Torao, parodying his voice ‘ _/There is only one sense justice in my dictionary and it says that no one gets hurt/_. You were so much into it, man!’

With Touma loosening up the atmosphere everyone began to make various comments about Torao’s appearance, his costumes, acting skills, until Minami said something that made him blush.

‘Midou-san. I hope once you defeat evil monsters known as week worth laundry with your special weapon called washing machine, you will take me on a ride with that motorbike of yours, fufu~’

‘... Haha. A true hero never sleeps! Anyway, I think one person here did a really good job’ Torao turned to their manager who snatched the last piece of popcorn left in the bowl, to Haruka’s displeasure ‘I had no idea that the director of that tokusatsu show was interested! They even let me sing the opening’

‘Magic words?’

‘...Thank you, Ryo-san. You don’t suck that badly’

‘Should I change your one month laundry punishment to two, cocky brat?’

Torao probably tried not to look so excited but it was too obvious. They still recalled the amount of energy that he displayed once Ryo proudly exclaimed that ‘You will be starring in K*men Rider!’. Minami could swear that the child side of Torao was yelling so loud he could hear it. Of course he tried to mask it, saying that he was “obviously happy with the offer and he isn’t sure if he is gonna take it”, but once their manager said that he can refuse it, Torao almost tripped over his feet and yelled ‘I WILL TAKE IT’ 

It was clear that Midou Torao was very happy to take that role. Once the preparations were done he would be heading to recording sessions between their other jobs and today, they could finally see the results on the big screen.

‘A-nyway~ Honestly, at first I wasn’t sure if I should take this job~ But considering your hero-like personality I thought, maybe it’s a good idea? Not that I am into heroes myself’

‘It’s better than bungee jumping. Torao can be a hero for children-’

‘So for you? Also don’t worry, Haruka. I will find a bungee jumping program again just for you’ Ryo ensured, earning a stabbing gaze from their youngest member.

‘It’s not the end though. We are supposed to have 26 episodes. There will be more recordings soon. They did send you a schedule already, right?’

‘Of course. I got it saved in my mailbox and calendar. You can’t wait for it, right?’

‘Haha, maybe!’

‘When’s our next program?’ Haruka brushed off bits of popcorn onto the floor. He would clean it later anyway, or Minami would step into it and summon fire out of his mouth - he’d rather avoid that.

‘In the next hour, I think? Ryo-s-’

‘1 hour 45 minutes, doggy. You have enough time to make us something to eat’ Ryo sent Touma a look that made him sigh deeply and move towards the kitchen. Having your own private chef is nice, but there is definitely something in Touma’s cooking that gives all of them this ‘homely’ feeling. It was completely new for Ryo, if he had to be honest. But it wasn’t bad.

‘Hmm… I miss few ingredients. Anyone volunteers for a grocery trip?’ Touma yelled from the kitchen, all of them hiding behind the couch ‘...How old are you? I can see Haru and Ryo-san’s hair, you two go!’

As they were called, Ryo and Haruka loomed out from behind the couch, both of them pouting in a similar way. 

‘...Do you want to eat or not!’

‘Fine, fine, don’t yell, mom!’

***

‘That will be 4300 yen, sir’

Ryo fetched out the card and gave it to the cashier. Haruka stood next to him, wearing a mask and cap on his head. Thankfully being their manager he didn’t need to wear those, it would be bothersome. Once they left the conbini, Haruka quickly got himself the pack of snacks from the manager’s bag and was about to open it before Ryo snatched it from his hands.

‘Wha-’

‘Touma is making dinner, Haruka’

‘The hell, you are not my parent! I bought it’

‘Wrong. I bought it. This card is mine!’ He hid the snacks back into the bag, Haruka looking at him angrily which only caused Ryo to laugh.

‘You can open them later-’

‘You talk like my grandma, you know’

Ryo felt as if he got hit straight into his forehead. Being compared to a grandma, how dares he! 

‘But that’s not something bad, you know. It’s nice’

‘Nice…? In what sense’

‘Hmm-- Not telling!’ Haruka began to walk ahead, leaving confused Ryo behind. It took him a moment to follow him and ask what did Haruka mean, but he never received his answer. Instead, Haruka smiled to himself under the mask.

_/Perhaps you will know one day, Ryo-san. Now, think about it a bit more!/_

Once they came back home, Touma had already prepared everything in the kitchen, nice smell soon filling the air. 

‘Haru, can you peel those?’

‘Why not Minami or Torao? Ask Ryo-san maybe-’

‘I will cut my fingers off faster than peel this, spare me’

Haruka noticed that Minami and Torao still sat on the couch under their big blanket. Minami’s head was leaning against Torao’s shoulder. It shouldn’t really bother him at this point, but it was just weird to acknowledge that two of your band members are dating each other.

But then, Haruka was able to believe in anything after their adventure with Chloe and Ryo. He was really convinced that time their manager was about to get married and throw them out of his apartment, but in the end it was just a big misunderstanding.

_/I wonder what other secrets Ryo-san has… I don’t really want to admit it, but I want to know him better./_

***

‘That’s a fantastic news, ZOOL! You just got a nomination for POP Shock Festival in few categories! How are you feeling about it? You aren’t slowing down!’

‘We don’t plan on slowing down. If so, we will force our way in even faster!’ Touma said confidently.

People in studio laughed along with presenter. ZOOL was sitting comfortably on the couches, all of them wearing smiles on their faces, meanwhile in the reality it was just a program that all 5 of them were watching.

‘That’s ZOOL for you! You guys always had a strong presence in media and even now you are doing pretty alright. Is that change hard on you? A big company used to back you up before!’

‘Not really. We are doing alright. I would say, thanks to change in situation our team got a bit closer’ Minami responded to the man ‘Our teamwork improved a lot recently and as Inumaru-san said, we aren’t planning on slowing down. It’s not who we are after all’

Ryo narrowed his brows. He had been in the studio that time, but thankfully this presenter must belong to some other company than Tsukumo. His idols were prepared anyway in case any of those people would try to tarnish their reputation or talk about their shift from Tsukumo Productions to indie scene.

ZOOL was doing pretty alright as indies and they had to let people know about it. He felt very proud watching those boys that he choose himself make such a big progress in everything. Of course there was his part too! He could probably puff his chest with pride and get as posh as a peacock but it was mostly to boost his own ego.

He wondered if ZOOL was actually grateful to him for all work that he did, but considering that all of them still live here, do all housework/idol work and just generally seem to enjoy his presence…

‘Ryo-san? Oi- Don’t tell me you are spacing out even when watching our program!’ Haruka poked Ryo’s shoulder in attempt to shake him out of that unfocused state. He shook his head and looked at Haruka.

‘I am listening’

‘No, you are not!’

‘Haru, come on. Ryo-san was in studio with us-’

‘He was talking on the phone, I saw it!’

‘I was discussing another work for you, Haruka!’

The boy had no counter argument for that, so he just puffed his cheeks. Minami was unable to resist and used his finger to poke them. He brushed off Haruka’s bangs from his face and smiled gently.

‘Isumi-san, don’t worry. Once Ryo-san sees us live, he won’t be able to take off his eyes, right?’ Minami sent a look to all of them, stopping at their manager ‘We will be so captivating even Ryo-san will fall under our charm. I can guarantee that, with my new song’

The program was still going in the background but all of them were looking at their manager as if awaiting response from him. Corners of his mouth raised a bit.

‘Are you soo sure I will? Maybe I won’t? I haven’t heard that new song of yours yet’ He said in a slightly threatening tone, but that didn’t move ZOOL’s main composer. 

‘I am sure of it. Anyway, let’s go back to program’

Right now in the TV Torao was talking about his debut in a ‘new TV production’, which ZOOL already knew was a tokusatsu show. In some moments it felt as if the presenter tried to gather a bit too much information regarding ZOOL’s past choices and plans, but they gracefully brought the discussion back onto right track. 

‘Hah, good one here, Torao. That guy wanted to know if Hanamaki Sumire contacted you after all this time…’

‘Too bad he won’t know. Honestly, I don’t know where she is or what is she doing but…’ Torao glanced at Ryo ‘You didn’t do anything bad to her, did you?’

‘Naw. Once this thing got quiet, she literally disappeared out of my sight. At this point, I don’t think she is even in the country anymore’

‘Who knows. Still, it’s your fault, Ryo-san’

‘No need to remind me, I know~’ The man waved his hand, giving Torao a signal to drop the topic. Minami also used his finger to poke Torao’s side and sent him a displeased look.

‘So, we can expect a new single from you soon. What will your new song be, Minami-kun?’ The presenter inside TV asked, the camera shifting onto the blonde quickly.

‘I would say our new song does have the same style as previous one. It is still a song of rebellion, breaking out of the chains but it has a hint of something new which all of us experienced’ He giggled ‘I would say, this song won’t be a gangster slogan spoken amongst others but a war cry that will bring the audience off their seats. That’s what we want to show to the others… how we can fight this new reality despite difficulties’

With few more words the program was heading to its next corner, ending ZOOL interview segment. All of them sighed with relief.

‘We did well, didn’t we… it was a bit stressful for some reason’

‘Probably because it will be our first serious performance since… how long? Few months probably. Ryo-san, calculate’

‘Since Black or White, my little bears. That’s why we need to make sure people are gonna know who and what to expect. We have a reputation to rebuild after all’

‘Hey, we still are in kinda better situation than TRIGGER if you think about it. We never left Tsukumo because of scandals. Only people in the industry know about… your deeds, Ryo-san’ Touma stretched his back and stood up, trying to not look at his manager who didn’t have a pleased expression and stepping into previously spilled popcorn ‘Shit-’

‘Instant karma, doggy’

‘It should be you who steps into- ah never mind! Haru, clean this up, please’

‘I planned to-- after program at least’

‘Now it’s a perfect time so go!’

***

It was already evening at the house of five when Tsukumo suddenly called all of them to the table and handed Minami a pack of UNO cards saying that it will be important for Minami’s future work if he agrees.

‘How is that supposed to help me with my decision about voice acting?’ Minami couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘Simply. You need to train your voice acting skills and I’ve found a perfect way to do it. Though, we need all bears to play’

The rest of ZOOL looked as confused as Minami while sitting at the table. 

‘We will play Dark Uno!’

‘...Dark Uno?’ Touma raised his brow, taking some of the cards into his hands and looking at them.

‘Is someone going to die?’ 

‘Oh yes. The loser. That’s the rule of DARK UNO!’ 

The boys were already familiar with their manager’s shenanigans so they could expect everything at this point. Ryo quickly began to deal cards to each party and talking about general rules of uno as a game. However, when Touma wanted to pick up his cards, Ryo slapped his hand away.

'W-what!'

'Not yet dummy!'

'...Then when! What do you plan-' Touma backed away once Ryo got too close.

'You are at the devil's table. I am the devil incarnate as I heard you like to call me-' Touma swallowed inaudibly, sending a stare to rest of his band members with _/which one of you spilled the beans!!/_

He could swear all of them were whistling and looking away. Traitors!

'O-okay. You are the devil himself, let’s say. What do you expect me to do?'

'Hmm! Playing with humans is so boring you know. I can just collect their souls once they lose and they won't be any different from the others! It's not rewarding enough, that's why-' Ryo raises his finger 'I will assign you a personas of dukes and overlords of hell.'

'I'm afraid at this point…' Haruka murmured, so Ryo pointed at him.

‘Haruka! You are a literal baby overlord and you plan world domination. No one takes you seriously, that’s why you are like “Oh, I will show them, those fuckers!”’

‘Ryo-san, he’s a baby. Language’ Minami scolded him gently, though they earned a grumpy noise from Haruka.

‘Right, right sorry! Anyway, you plan world domination… Your name is… Rich Boar with warhammer!’

‘HAH!?.... Okay, I will accept it. Sounds cool and I get a weapon too’

Ryo puffed his chest with pride and then looked at Touma, who was next to Haruka.

‘You on the other hand are almost like the Hound of Baskerville! Appearing from fog, a black dog that brings misery to his enemies but is loyal to his owners!’

‘That’s literally Inumaru-san-’

‘Right?’

‘HEY NOW!’ Touma crossed his arms on his chest, despite his demeanor he didn’t argue ‘...And what’s my name?’

‘Kuroinu’

He got a nod of approval, so Torao was next.

‘So what did you get for me? I hope it’s as cool as my K*men Rider persona’

‘Hmm… I wonder! What if you are actually someone who died while wishing for something so hard that your resolve made you come back from dead… Right, I know!’ Ryo clasped his hands ‘You are a Death Rider!’

‘....Can I have a fire motorbike like Ghost Rider?’

‘Sure. Even better!’

‘DAMN YES! Ryo-san, you may have an imagination like a madman-’

Torao quickly thought of something else before his laundry duty got extended up to 3rd month.

‘...But you are kinda cool!’

‘Haha! Thank you Torao, aren’t you a kind child! A-nyway…’ All of their eyes shifted to Minami, who was waiting with anticipation ‘Now, what do we do with you… Help me my little bears! What role do we assign to Minami?’

‘Fufu- Good answers only?’

***

‘HAHA! You thought you could win this round, Kuroinu? Don’t make me laugh!’

‘D-DAMN!... Was it all for nothing?!’

‘Don’t worry. I shall throw you a bone that is left from remains of our Death Rider once he meets his end. Isn’t that right? Anyway, I shall drop this colored 3 and 4!’ 

It was their 3rd game of Dark Uno and as much as everyone thought Ryo’s imagination may be a bit too much-

All of them had to admit that they had more fun with this than they could think.

‘That’s so unfortunate, Rich Boar! I shall gracefully bring down your chances to win. Ohoho-!’ Minami put a skip card onto the stack and laughed to himself. It was a surreal experience to see Minami act like a completely different person, but his manager was right - it helped him to ‘become’ someone else, just for a brief game. He could work with his voice, though he was still not sure why he let everyone choose his ‘persona’ for this game.

Haruka (who actually got himself a weapon, that was just a fork with piece of square shaped daikon on it) made an annoyed noise.

‘How dare you! You are next on my ‘To completely annihilate’ list, sexy witch!’ 

Every time someone actually said Minami’s persona name, all of them were either snorting or trying to hold back laugh, especially Torao. That would only activate Minami’s ‘wrath’ even more.

‘I can’t wait for it, Rich Boar. I will be sure to make an appointment with you and let your warhammer bring justice… but unfortunately, you have to skip your turn’

After few other games, Torao and Minami sat in front of each other, everyone else watching them in anticipation.

‘We are back to Death Rider. Out of petrol already, hm?’

‘You would love that, hm? Unfortunately, I will have to use my special weapon’ He raised a card and grinned, seeing change on Minami’s face.

‘No… you won’t… no-!’

‘TAKE THIS!’ Torao smashed the card onto the table top, small kanji written on it.

_‘Next player has to live up to their name and do something that relates to it’_

Minami bit his lip and stood up.

‘Fine. I shall take part in that punishment game of yours, Death Rider. But know that I shall captivate your heart so much, you will regret writing that’

‘Oho? Can’t wait? What will you do?’

‘Fufu-’

Minami approached the player next to the TV and kept searching for something. Then, he turned back to them.

‘I shall do what you ask me to do. Live up to my name… and dance’

Once familiar music began to play, Minami started moving slowly, his hands going along his body, hips slightly swaying from right to left. Step forth, step back, everything was planned and crafted. Touma blushed once Minami’s hand reached his face and fingers brushed along his lips.

‘....the fuck you doin-’ Haruka slapped Touma’s hands away that tried to cover his eyes. He even dropped his handmade hammer, the piece of daikon rolling on the ground. In the end, no one was truly able to take their eyes off their blonde composer and Torao as much as he wanted to say that it was a simple punishment game--

He had to admit it was so goddamn hot he was glad to witness it.

Once the music came to stop Minami winked to them and brushed his hair out of his sight.

‘There- Oh my, I guess I really lived up to my Sexy Witch name, didn’t I?’ 

All of them swallowed quietly while Ryo cleared his throat.

‘I guess Minami wins this round by walkover. Though I have to ask, where did you learn to dance like this?’

‘Fufu. I was watching Midou-san play Bayonetta. But don’t worry. That’s not the last thing I have prepared for you tonight’

The night was still young and everyone felt it’s gonna be a really fun night.

  
  


***

Morning has come so fast all of them were still sitting in front of the table. The sunrays slowly creeped into the room, finally reaching all people present. Dropping one last card to the stack, Ryo laughed tiredly.

‘...Won this round...’

All of them sighed, Haruka dropping his head onto Touma’s shoulder and closing his eyes.

‘What time is this even…I feel like I haven’t slept for at least a week’

‘It’s uh…’ Torao lazily pulled out his phone, wiping his face and squinting his eyes. Numbers were getting all blurry for some reason ‘It’s 6:30… shit, we’ve been playing this damn game the whole night’

‘But it was fun, right!’ Ryo used his hand to lean his head against it ‘Minami was so much into playing evil and sexy witch’

‘I’m gonna have nightmares after that…’ said the ‘Witch’, as he laid his head down on the table. 

‘Bayonetta slept for 500 years, so maybe it’s time for you to do it as well, Minami. You did well’ Torao was about to embrace the blonde but Minami brushed off his hand.

‘I have inspiration coming…’ Minami murmured despite feeling that he wouldn’t be able to live up to his words as darkness began to overlap him ‘Kuroinu, make some coffee’ He turned his head to Touma.

‘You know, sleep would be better-’

‘Waa-- Kuroinu is refusing the order from sexy witch after losing to him at least 4 times. What a disaster…’ Ryo stood up and began to prepare coffee instead of Touma, who in the meantime was preparing to move Haruka to the sofa as he dozed off while leaning on him. Haruka already managed to embrace and cuddle up to him.

‘Minami, Touma is right. Ryo-san, you too…’ Torao had really no strength left himself to scold them, with Minami’s weight on his shoulder it was even harder.

‘Nah… I will probably end up checking emails and some other stuff… Anyway, uh…’ Ryo poured coffee into his cup only and took an energy drink out of the fridge. Realization hit Torao too late, a choked noise leaving his throat once he saw his manager pour a whole content of the can into his coffee. He looked at the cup, back at Ryo and sighed deeply.

‘You… don’t plan on drinking this’

‘I used to do that in college’

‘No wonder you have such a bright imagination and too much energy to be around. You are insane, Ryo-san’

‘Is that so… then, let’s have a s-’ Ryo’s cup got stolen by Minami’s hand that snatched it away. The man brought it up to his lips and had a sip. Both Ryo and Torao made a surprised gasp and waited to see the reaction of the guilty one.

‘....H-How is it?’

‘That’s mine, Sexy Witch’

Minami put the cup down, blinked few times and dropped onto Torao’s shoulder completely, falling asleep almost instantly. Ryo reached for the cup but Touma, who suddenly appeared like a shadow, grabbed it and raised it up into the air.

‘Neither of you drinks this. Sleep or you will learn the wrath of Kuroinu’

‘But-’

‘That includes you, Mr. Devil. You and your sleep deprived ideas’

***

Some time had passed since their dark game of Uno. With Minami accepting the proposal for voice acting jobs and Ryo getting ban on coffee and energy drinks under threat of sleeping inside bathtub, the day of the POP Shock Festival finally came. ZOOL’s new song was ready and the boys were more than eager to present it to the audience. 

Ryo was still talking on the phone, discussing a job with known TV station and using his /convincing/ voice to make sure that ZOOL can appear in few programs of theirs. The person probably thought Ryo was still the president of Tsukumo because they agreed to everything - _what a silly person_ , Ryo thought.

When he reached the backstage the contest was already on and his boys were ready to go. He watched them stand in a formed circle and yell something to each other.

Oh, right. They were firing each other up for the fight. He never saw them do that before. He could hear Touma speak about them making sure to aim for the best but also have fun. Minami speaking about their song being new version of them. Torao said that he wants to stand on the stage with them and only with them, even if people are gonna look bad at them. Then, there was Haruka who was about to say something but he noticed Tsukumo behind them. Ryo put up a proud face and crossed arms on his chest.

‘Aren’t you a bit too fired up, little bears? Not that I complain’

‘...Yeah. But you know what would fire us up more?’

‘What?’ Before Ryo could do anything Haruka left the circle, grabbed their manager’s wrist and threw him into the circle, Touma dropping a hand over his shoulder and Haruka rejoining them.

‘What-’

‘Ryo-san. Since you are our manager for real now, you should also raise up our spirits, right?’ Minami asked him ‘After all, good manager is the pillar for our success’

‘Right! You better watch our performance fully and don’t drift anywhere. If you fall asleep again or go pick up a phone call, we will make you regret this, just like Red Hill Fes. So? What are you gonna say?’ Torao grinned, awaiting a proper response from Tsukumo who only shook his head.

‘I’m not gonna say anything or cheer on you as a manager’

‘What are you? Ryo-san, how dare you-’ Noticing Ryo smiling, Touma went quiet.

‘That’s because I know you will win. Listen up, ZOOL. I made you, right? I got all of you and I made sure to raise you. Bad or wrong… it doesn’t matter. All I want you to know is that you are the best idols for this kind of thing and you will win. Period. Go on that stage, win, bathe in renewed glory…’ Ryo laughed quietly ‘...Or don’t expect me to buy you another dinner from my own salary’

Even if presented with words like those, ZOOL immediately knew what Ryo meant by it. They grinned like idiots and stomped their foot on the floor.

‘LET’S GO ZOOL!’

‘YEAH!’

Once their group got announced from the stage, ZOOL left towards the lights and left Ryo in the dim lighting of backstage. The moment of truth would finally come.

‘Let me present you… ZOOL with their newest song… “Lucifer”!’ The presenter announced, cheers filling the hall. The idols made it to the stage, waving and smiling to their fans. There were many of them in the audience, fans and various merchandise visible even from there. Taking their positions, the lights began to flicker and music began to play from the speakers.

The show has began.

***

It was a moment that Ryo was waiting for. He could witness his boys once again on the stage, see a sea of penlights (even if it was an event for indie artists, it still counted) and hear people screaming their name. ZOOL, ZOOL, ZOOL. As if the world outside didn’t matter, all that mattered were…

_His idols._

Perhaps this is what some managers that he overheard meant. Talking about their idols as if they were their pupils, being proud of them and making sure to let them grow properly. Previously, he would never think of them like this. They were supposed to be a fad, pets that he would train and then release back to wild, hoping that vultures would rip them apart. President Tsukumo Ryo would love that kind of development but…

Manager Tsukumo Ryo wouldn’t let this happen.

A smile that was on his face was probably the most sincere one that he ever wore. His true feelings were finally showing up once he got to see his idols perform on the stage. It finally began to hit him that he didn’t need a huge company and power to feel like this. Perhaps this is what Tsunashi meant as well when they talked that day.

/I’m… so glad I got you, ZOOL. You are my happiness./

Those were the words that he wasn’t afraid to think about anymore. He wanted to be himself and admit those feelings.

Those boys were his biggest joy…

  
  
  
  


_and soon, would become his biggest worry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be perfectly honest with you, it took me SO LONG to write this chapter and I was personally struggling with it. I began my job recently so I had less time to write but it worked miracles for my inspiration. Ryo and ZOOL are playing Yami no Uno, which became a huge hit thanks to OnoKen, EguTaki and Hanaecchi playing it on YT. 
> 
> Title is a reference to Nicki Minaj song 'Champions' which I personally really like, give it a try.
> 
> Last words sound ominous hm? I would like to warn you that next chapter will start a MAJOR turn for the AU... please look forward to it. 
> 
> And please, don't put energy drinks into your coffee---


	8. Sound of silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rain can be both peaceful and destructive. Life is not that much different.

‘...Yes, I know. We will be there tomorrow. I convinced Ryo-san to-- No, don’t say that! Come on, grandma. Anything will be fine. I’m sure he will like your cooking, just like the rest. Yes. I love you as well. See you tomorrow. Bye bye.’

Haruka hung up on the call and put the phone into his pocket, smiling to himself. He could feel the summer creeping into their lives as the sun was being a pain today. It wasn’t even that hot to begin with, it was just annoying to walk with the sun rays shining straight onto your face. 

He just finished one of his jobs and was waiting for an obvious red car to appear in his vision. He had noticed a crepe stand nearby the park entrance and stopped himself internally from going to ask for one. All his mind screamed was THIRST FOR SUGAR, as if he didn’t have enough in the past few days. Turning away from the stand didn’t help as the smell was overbearing, so he quickly pulled out the phone out of his pocket again, browsing his Rabitter feed in hopes for something to distract him but-

_ /We went to Iorin and Mikki’s cake shop today~ Look at this all stuff!!/  _

Tamaki’s post was too obvious to miss, Haruka cursing internally.

‘...I guess you win this fight, crepes with double chocolate sauce and coconut sprinkles’

Just when he was about to turn around, he bumped into someone’s chest, quickly taking a step back and murmuring a quiet apology.

‘You should watch your step more’ A familiar voice reached his ears. Haruka quickly looked up and faced no one else but Kujo Tenn, himself. Suddenly, the heat that wasn’t bothering him much before began to multiply, making him blush slightly.

‘K-kkk--kujo… T...tenn...I’m-... I was just busy! That’s all!’ He managed to stutter, looking away ‘I am waiting for someone so…!’

‘Your manager, huh?’ Tenn said unamused, noticing how Haruka suddenly began to sweat and mumble something nervously under his nose. That child will never change. 

Haruka on the other hand began to suddenly panic. It’s been a while since he and Kujo Tenn were alone. His mind was slowly registering the fact that he is next to him and there is no one else to support him!

‘Isumi-san, do you like crepes?’

This question came out so suddenly it almost hit Haruka’s brain like an arrow. A crepe, Kujo Tenn and a crepe, Kujo Tenn is asking him about a crepe, his hair has the same color as cream used in crepes, crepe, crepe, crepe--

‘I… UH… I like them…? Who doesn’t! Haha. Y-you surely don’t like them, right?’

‘I do. A lot’   


‘Aah…?’

Tenn instead of giving him his usual stern look actually had a gentle smile on his face. Haruka had no idea why his heart was suddenly speeding up its beat.

‘I was thinking of getting one. Maybe you want to come with me? This stand nearby has good ones’

The boy had to process those words for a while. Tenn noticed that, finally landing the fatal hit.

‘If I heard correctly, you’d like double chocolate sauce with coconut sprinkles, right?’

_ Here lies Isumi Haruka, he scored himself a crepe with Kujo Tenn.  _

‘W...Wait. You don’t mind going there with me? We may have worked together and stuff but…’

‘It’s fine. I will forgive you if you buy me one’

_ SO IT WAS A TRICK! HE GOT TRICKED!  _ Haruka was yelling internally while his face showed an unamused expression. He could only say ‘Ah. Is that so’.

He couldn’t say that he was mad or angry though. In the end, he nodded and smiled back to Tenn.

‘Let it be. We got a nice paycheck recently, so I can spoil you a bit, Kujo Tenn.’

‘Thank you. Let’s go then, Double chocolate sauce with coconut sprinkles-san.’

***

Haruka’s eyes shone at the crepe he was holding in his hands. It looked even better in reality than it looked on the picture. He began to eat it as if world outside didn’t matter, forgetting of literal angel sitting beside him.

‘You have cream all over your face, Isumi-san.’ Tenn’s finger gently reached towards his face, wiping the bits of cream that stuck to his cheek. Haruka could feel himself burn, steam almost coming out from his ears. Who the hell he is, what does he think he is doing so casually…!

‘There. Your manager didn’t teach you how to eat properly?’ He asked yet there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Haruka licked his lips and looked away.

‘He is not my father or anything.’ The boy answered, taking another bite of the crepe. It was so damn delicious.

‘Right. He is just a manager after all.’

‘Why are you so interested? Last time we met, you talked with Ryo-san and told him to apologize when he’s ready’ Haruka asked after a long pause ‘It’s not like it would make you happy if I told you that thanks to his hard work, we were able to come back to the show business without a big company backing us up.’

‘It does make me happy.’ Tenn noticed the surprised look that Haruka gave him, so he continued ‘Though, Isumi-san, remember that I am angry about what happened and my point of view about that person won’t change.’

‘..I know about it. So why are you telling me that again? We are doing fine on our own now as you can see.. And from what I heard, you are doing good as well’ Haruka looked at Tenn ‘I heard about the Yaotome Pro thing. Congrats, I guess.’

‘Thank you. Though it’s ironic to hear such words from someone who got me pretty much fired from my production label in the first place.’

Tenn licked his finger that got dirty from the cream. He could hear the boy make a small gasp.

‘Situation has changed, so did we all.’

‘Yeah. Now we are just like you. I don’t find it that bad though. We actually got-’ Haruka wanted to finish the sentence but the car honk coming from nearby got his attention. He saw the obvious red vehicle, meaning his manager had already arrived.

‘Time to go?’   


‘Yeah. Unless you want to meet Ryo-san again and I’m sure you don’t.’ The boy stood up, ready to go when Tenn stopped him.

‘What?’

‘Let me ask you one thing then, Isumi-san.’

‘...Fine. Just not too long or he may get angry.’ Haruka gave the car a quick glance and waved to Ryo who was waiting for him ‘What is it?’

‘If you say that it’s not a bad thing, are you happy right now?’

‘Huh? I’m…’ Another honk. Haruka waved his hand again, mouthing quiet  _ /WAIT A BIT/ _ then turned back to Tenn, giving him a confident smile ‘I can say I am. It’s a lot happier time than when I was with Kujo or when we were in Tsukumo. We may have left our production but…’

‘But?’   


‘Just because it happened, it doesn’t mean that I cannot continue on walking. You know something about it, right, Kujo Tenn.’

Tenn didn’t respond to him at first, as if he was analyzing his words. His train of thoughts was interrupted by two angry car honks.

‘... I understand. Thank you. Go now, Isumi-san.’

  
  
‘Sure’ Haruka turned around but before he moved, he clenched and unclenched his fist ‘Y-You know…’

  
  
‘Hm?’   
  


‘You can just call me Haruka. No need to be like… formal. See you.’ With that being said, Haruka ran towards the car. Tenn could see the door opening and Haruka yelling something towards the man who was gesturing maybe a bit too wildly. The boy ended up shoving the crepe up to Ryo’s mouth and laughing as he got all dirty from the bits of cream that were left.

Tenn really couldn’t recognize that man.

Every time he saw him, he had a smug aura of someone who knew where he was standing, being so proud and pushy to the point of annoyance. Now, the same man who used to twist both the industry and idols themselves behaved as if his only desire was to laugh along with Haruka as if the world outside didn’t matter to him. They got into their red car and left quickly (with tires making a loud noise), leaving Tenn deep in his thoughts. He actually wanted to ask Haruka about more things, since they rarely got a chance to be alone together.

He had finished the crepe, noticing that previously blue, almost cloudless sky became gray, first drops of rain falling down.

‘...Rain? I don’t remember the forecast saying anything about it…’

He’d better return home quickly, avoiding getting wet was his first priority. 

He can think of Haruka later. For some reason, he couldn’t leave his thoughts recently.

***

‘Goddamit, what’s with that rain! It was such good weather before~’ Ryo cursed, his finger tapping the wheel as he and Haruka were standing inside usual traffic. It was already that hour when everyone was going back from work and rain didn’t make any of it better, causing more trouble.

‘It was really hot before, I actually appreciate it.’

‘Oh right! I forgot that we are being born from darkness, so the sun is a big no-no!’ Ryo laughed as he watched Haruka roll his eyes. It was a good time to change the topic now.

‘I talked with grandma today. She can’t wait for our visit.’

‘Ah right you mentioned it. Though remember you have work tomorrow before the actual visit.’

‘I know. It’s the one that you have been hyping for a while, right? It got busy again since we won that prize recently. It almost feels like we are back to the previous state of things.’

‘As if things didn’t change, hm? Right!’ The car moved a bit ‘Though, if things didn’t change, you wouldn’t have such an amazing chauffeur like me.’

‘You..!’ Ryo was anticipating Haruka to come up with some sort of insult or excuse but instead, Haruka just smiled at him ‘Yeah. I’m glad you are driving us around, Ryo-san. It’s fun, even if you don’t know any road laws and just drive like you always do.’

‘Hey now, I had to take an exam! I didn’t buy my driving license with my pocket money.’

‘You didn’t?’   


‘...Maybe.’   


‘I KNEW IT! You don’t know anything! You don't even do house work around your flat!’ 

'I don't need to do that if I have you! Anyway, I was never made for work like this, if you asked me to fix a broken sink or something then-'

'And leaking rooftop?'

Both of them fell quiet, only sounds of rain and other cars outside present. It took Ryo a while to answer.

'Why leaking rooftop? We don't have such thing.'

'Um…' He gave Ryo a side glance ‘If you were in such situation though… What would you do?’

‘Why is that?’

‘Answer.’

‘We live on the 1st floor, we don’t even have a roof-’

‘Just answer, Ryo-san!’

Silence overlapped them again for a brief moment before Ryo laughed.

‘As I said, I was never made for physical work. Neither I have a knowledge about fixing stuff like this.’

‘Is that so…’ Haruka said quietly.

‘However!’ That made him turn his head around towards his manager ‘It doesn’t mean I would let the water fall down onto my head when I’m asleep or just resting. I’d find another way to fix it.’

‘What… it would be?’

‘Hn~ Forcing someone else to do the labor while I watch and comment on their mistakes? Come on, don’t look at me like that. I think I could make it work somehow in the end. You know, when I was back in Europe and met some students from Poland, they told me about their life philosophy’ car finally moved out of the traffic, picking up more speed and taking a turn right, to their usual way back home.

‘Life philosophy?’

  
  
‘Yes. ‘It doesn’t matter how it works, as long as it works’. I just recalled that recently after meeting with Chloe and I feel like this applies to all of us. So probably putting a piece of metal over the hole in the rooftop would work at least as temporary fix.’

Ryo was right in that matter as Haruka gave it more thought. ZOOL at first wasn’t doing the best, but they were still doing good. Slowly, they got better, even if it meant they had to do various things, went through many different situations together but… it did work in the end.

‘But if you didn’t have anyone around who could fix that roof for you-’

‘What’s with your sudden obsession with rooftops, Haruka. Do you want to change professions?’

‘...You know what, never mind. I never asked.’

‘Haha~ I will remember that and buy you a new rooftop for your birthday… though, where will you put it? Maybe let’s just stick with forged driving license instead.’

‘I NEVER ASKED!’

***

‘We are back- I hope you made something good to eat, my little bears because we are starving with Haruka!’ Ryo yelled from the entrance as they began to take off their shoes. All lights were on, as the weather outside suddenly turned out very dark and rainy. It seemed that a storm was coming as well.

Touma and Torao were deeply some hack/slash game, while Minami was sitting at the desk with headphones on, piece of paper and pen laying on the table. No words were written on it though.

‘Welcome back. I prepared something earlier, it’s in the oven. Should still be warm, so watch out.’ Touma responded to them and then quickly turned to Torao ‘See, I told you to go that way!’

  
  
‘Shut up, I knew this way would work too!’

‘But it will kill you, the level is too damn high!’

Haruka quickly went to the kitchen, meanwhile Ryo put his things onto the table and sat next to Minami, noticing how focused or rather not focused he was on the paper in front of him. All it had was crossed words or some strange doodles of unknown nature.

‘No inspiration?’ Ryo waved in front of Minami’s face, so he would take off the headphones.

‘Rather than no inspiration, I would say I suffer due to lack of certain motivation. Words in my head aren’t truly adding up. I may repeat the music track over and over but nothing comes to my mind.’ Minami said quietly and sighed, putting the pen down.

‘I would suggest a magical ritual bestowed down by shamans known as taking a break. You are gonna need it.’ Ryo kept glancing at the paper, hearing Minami laugh quietly ‘What?’

‘It’s been so many months and I still can’t get used to you being nice to us, Ryo-san.’

‘Oh boo, so you want me to insult you then?’ Ryo made a dismissive gesture with his hand ‘Fine. Go write your silly song on this piece of paper once you have inspiration after occupying my bath for another 3 hours. Here, you can even have this bath oil that me and Haruka got from the shop-’

He had noticed a blink appearing in Minami’s eyes and light smile appearing on his face.

‘Actually that’s a fantastic idea. I may consider it. Thank you, Ryo-san. I actually really LOVE almonds.’ He snatched the bath oil from the counter and closed the doors behind him, leaving the rest in the living room.

‘See, Ryo-san. I told you that he will like it.’ Haruka put the plate with food onto the table and took the place that Minami was previously sitting in.

‘Right! Almonds smell nice. Anyway, let’s eat because I haven’t eaten much besides that crepe you shared with Kujo Tenn in the park. Ah, how romantic!’

Torao and Touma stopped the game immediately and turned around to Haru, their expressions shocked.

‘You were on a date with Kujo Tenn?!’

  
  
‘WHA-’ Haruka’s fork almost fell down from his hand ‘IT WASN’T A DATE, YOU IDIOTS! We just met after work that’s all!’

‘That’s still a date by definition’ Torao smirked ‘I see that both you and Touma have something to that Nanase blood. Pheromones or something?’

‘W-what is inside your head even, Tora.’

‘Oh yes, Torao. I do thing I am deeply affected by Riku’s pheromones as well~’ Ryo said while stuffing his mouth with carbonara ‘Don’t you think so, Touma’ His fork stabbed the piece of meatball so hard, Touma could feel himself swallow nervously.

‘Ahaha-- You are still mad, huh’ Touma hid himself behind the couch, trying to not look at his manager’s angry stare.

Oh, he was still angry that Touma was actually dating Riku while living under his roof. It came out so suddenly and Touma didn’t plan on telling him at all, but it somehow got out of their small circle and since that day, his manager made sure that Touma knows that he is being watched at least in their house. He would never dared to bring Riku over here, he’d rather not risk his manager trying to take all of Riku’s attention while locking Touma inside the bathroom.

This scenario was so damn real, Touma kept his distance.

However, Touma’s nervous smile quickly faded, Haruka noticing sudden change.

‘What’s wrong, Touma?’

‘You know… I’m actually worried about Riku recently.’ He said, Torao and Ryo looking at him questioningly.

‘What, there is another trouble in paradise besides Ryo-san?’

‘Hey now, I am here and I can hear that!’

‘Good. Anyway, what’s wrong?

Touma sighed deeply and hugged the pillow that he had previously under his back.

‘Riku is behaving strangely recently. He doesn’t check on my messages or hangs up on me. I can’t even reach him for a long time and all I get was ‘Sorry, I was busy.’ or ‘I couldn’t reply.’ Sometimes I even feel like it’s not Riku who is responding me but a completely another person.’

Ryo quickly finished his plate and wiped his mouth, standing up and walking towards the sink.

‘Little birdie from Takanashi mentioned to me that Idolish7 has so much work they don’t really see each other. I didn’t ask for any details but it just feels like normal top idol schedule-’

‘It’s not normal, Ryo-san!’ Touma raised his voice ‘It was pretty okay before! But from some time, I don’t even understand what’s going on. When I met him last time, he also looked very tired, like he wasn’t sleeping at all.’

Man put the plates down in the sink and came back to his place. He was thinking deeply of something, it seemed.

‘Touma. Takanashi is not Tsukumo or Yaotome. They don’t have a policy of selling their idols and working their asses off until they can’t perform.’

‘Then why-’

‘No idea. Not that any of us will know. Takanashi won’t share anything with their potential enemies. Remember that’ He finished sternly, though Ryo had to admit that Touma’s words also worried him, because Riku wasn’t responding to his rabbichats either. They used to exchange stamps daily, however from some time it came to stop. Because they also had so much work piling up, Ryo had no time to think about anything that wasn’t related to ZOOL’s current development.

Even if it was nearly 8 months after he got dismissed from Tsukumo, he was still in awe with his own motivation to work for ZOOL’s success. He had to make sure everything worked out, when they finally began to walk towards their next goal.

‘I will see if I can squeeze any job with Idolish for you. Then, we can talk to Riku.’ Ryo said, Touma nodding to him.

‘Thank you, Ryo-san. You don’t know how grateful I am.’

‘Oh good. I hope you will repay me for it with another good dinner, Touma.’

‘Haha- It’s fine! I can cook as much as you want. All of you!’

Once Haruka was done with his meal, he put the plates back into the sink and mentioned for Ryo to wash them later, soon disappearing into the bedroom to take new set clothes out of Ryo’s closet. It was a chance for man to ask two remaining ones of something.

‘Hey, you two. A question.’

‘What?’

‘Do you know why Haruka is so fixated on rooftops?’

Torao and Touma looked at each other surprised, then laughed.

‘You may learn about it tomorrow, Ryo-san.’

***

‘Hm, no that won’t work! Let’s try again, ZOOL. Please stand in this direction… perfect! Another take!’

Haruka was getting irritated with that guy already, so did the rest of ZOOL and Ryo who was standing behind the scenes. Producer behind this program couldn’t decide which take did fit his vision the most, changing all, even small details to make everything perfect. Ryo instructed them before that no matter how this guy is gonna bitch, they have to accept everything and make sure to never raise their voice at him…

Even if Ryo was the most eager person to yell at him. Oh, how much that guy was irritating him! He had known him since his president days, but that time it was him who was bending his head politely and saying ‘Yes, everything for you, Tsukumo-san!’. 

He was just being nice, because Ryo managed to secure him too many benefits previously but now, their relationship was only pure business and it was Ryo who was on his mercy this time. Annoying, but he had to bear through it.

All of them had to, but hearing another ‘No no, that won’t work! Again!’ already made Ryo roll his eyes and walk out of the studio to get a coffee or something. As long as he doesn’t need to hear that squeaky voice, he will be fine.

Once they decided to take a short break, all of ZOOL returned to the changing room, in which Ryo was already sitting. Torao and Touma dropped themselves angrily onto the couch, while Minami and Haruka sat down on the chairs in front of the mirrors.

‘Ryo-san. I swear to god, if this job wasn’t this important-’

‘Shh. I know, you don’t need to tell me. I don’t even need to be an idol to understand your frustration. I feel like his wife doesn’t love him enough and he’s taking out his ‘artistic’ frustration on everyone around him.’

‘Kinda like you used to do before-’ Noticing Ryo’s gaze, Torao quickly fixed himself ‘Well… You USED to, Ryo-san!’

‘Haru, where are you calling?’ Touma turned his head to Haruka who was trying to call somewhere.

‘I’m trying to call my grandma. At this point, we will be late, so I want to make sure she’s not waiting for us with dinner being ready for too long but…’ Boy looked onto the screen with worried eyes ‘She’s not picking up.’

‘Don’t worry! She’s probably busy preparing nice dishes for us! I can’t wait to eat that beef stew she made for us last time again. It was so good’ Touma smiled at him, though that didn’t change Haruka’s expression that much.

‘Since it’s a bit stormy outside, it could be also some problem with reception as well. Don’t worry, Isumi-san.’ Minami sat closer to him and caressed his hair in a manner that he knew Haruka liked ‘I’m sure she wants to make everything work well because we will be all coming there, including Ryo-san.’

Everyone looked at Ryo who decided to put up an act, puffing his chest proudly.

‘Of course! I am coming over so it must be a huge celebration! There may not be champagne showers or chocolate fountains but I will accept it! Also-!’ He raised a finger ‘Any kind of meal will work. Everyone say that grandma’s cooking is the best, though I never had a chance to try my grandma’s cooking before so I will be counting on yours, Haruka.’

He noticed that Haruka’s face lightened up a bit and considered it a score. Seeing his ZOOL smiling brought him a lot of warm feelings in his chest, he had noticed through the course of those last few months. The boy nodded and quickly typed a message to his grandma, saying that they will be late, so she doesn’t need to worry.

‘So, any idea how to make sure no one beats that dude up? Breathing exercises? Magic rituals?’

‘We can have Minami curse him. I know you carry voodoo dolls with you around, Minami~’

‘I don’t practice black magic, for your information… though sometimes I feel like I should.’ He said with his usual gentle smile, Torao mentioning that it’s better to not anger him ever again.

After 10 minutes doors to their room opened, the staff said that the break will end soon and the director is calling them back to the green room.

‘Well, my little bears. Off to the war you go!’

  
  
‘Likewise. Try to not strangle that guy behind the scenes, Ryo-san.’   


‘I can’t promise you anything!’

Everyone has left, Haruka only staring at the screen. She didn’t write any reply back, so she must be busy with something. He turned off the screen and put his phone back into the bag, leaving the room and hoping that answer will come soon.

***

‘Why are so many people suddenly driving the same road! It’s always so empty!’ Haruka said angrily while looking outside their cars. They were once again squeezed in a traffic on the road leading to Haruka’s grandma house. The boy was sitting in the front seat, while 3 of them were in the back seats, Minami clutching a bag with a present that they bought for Haruka’s grandma. It would make a bad impression if Ryo came with empty hands to visit, so they helped him to choose something.

‘It seems that fate is really trying to obstruct us today. First the car didn’t want to work, then our recording got prolonged for almost 3 more hours and now this traffic…’ Minami said quietly and put his head onto Torao’s shoulder. The man gave him a gentle kiss onto the top of his hair and allowed Minami to join their hands together.

‘Grandma must be worried now… though she didn’t reply to me or didn’t call back…’

‘Maybe there was a blackout? You know that’s not uncommon if there is a storm. Her phone battery could die and-’

‘Inumaru-san enough. Don’t stress Isumi-san more.’

‘Yes, yes! Shut up Touma!’

‘Don’t gang up on me! Anyway Ryo-san, there is a green light’ The car moved, the GPS telling them to take a turn right and then left. They had no idea how to reach that place by car, they only used public transport to get there before. Though once they passed next to a few houses, Haruka already knew where they were. It was quite dark even if it wasn’t that late, due to heavy rainfall.

‘Forecasts mentioned that it will rain for a few more days. I hope it won’t make any more damage.’

‘Damn… We did fix the roof recently but now I wonder it other things won’t break?’ Haruka mentioned quietly.

‘Wait, so fixing the roof part was about your grandma?’ You could tell me, I would get someone to fix it for her.’

‘I did tell you about the roof, Ryo-san! Anyway, Torao called someone last time and they fixed it.. Though, this house is already old and-’

‘Hey hey now. Calm down. Anyway, I can see Haru’s house.’

The car stopped, the GPS announcing that they reached their destination. Street lanterns were working, however there was no light inside Haruka’s house, which immediately brought an unpleasant gut feeling to him. They all got out of the car, walking through an old fence that had its best years long, long behind.

Ryo was never truly interested in how any of the ZOOL boys lived before. He was so deep into his revenge filled plan of destabilizing the industry and idols, that he never considered taking a look at their living conditions. He knew that Torao was incredibly rich, Minami was a child actor so he still had some of his savings and Touma probably during his NO_MAD days was living with his mother but Haruka on the other hand…

He already understood why he was so keen rooftops and house work.

‘Ryo-san? Are you coming?’ Torao called out for him, Ryo quickly following behind them.

Haruka pulled out the keys and opened the doors with a loud squeak. There was no light inside, boy flicking the switch back and forth but-

‘Ah, shit. You were right, there is no electricity.’ He told others and took out his phone and activated the light ‘Grandma?! We arrived!’

Haruka called out but no one responded to him. He told them to wait, while he went to another part of the house, searching for his grandma. When everyone got inside, Ryo already noticed something-

_ It smells so strange…? _

Whole house was an old construction with wood elements, so you’d expect it to smell like this during heavy rain. He wasn’t sure what the rest of the house looked like but Touma commenting on the same thing he had thought about only made his point stronger.

‘Hey… do you feel something strange?’

‘What it may be?’

It hit Ryo that he had known this smell.

  
  
  
  
  


_ Huh…? No, it cannot be… _

  
  
  
  


Once a piercing scream broke the silence in this small house, it soon became clear. It all became clear.

  
  


Thunder broke through cloudy and rainy sky, announcing the beginning of the new era for ZOOL.

**END OF PART 1**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')
> 
> I'm so sorry guys.


	9. I say a little prayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART 2 - Childhood's end
> 
> “It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.” - John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

‘What the hell do you mean they cancelled!? Where I am supposed to find a replacement for them!? Do they think it’s that easy to find someone at the last minute!?’ Sougo and Tamaki could hear angry yelling of the main producer of their show. The older man was almost choking on his own spit, yelling at the person that was bowing to him nervously and apologizing. 

‘Takanori-san, this is a very sensitive is-’

‘I don’t care! I knew it’s gonna be like this! Those ZOOL bastards don’t keep their promises, I heard from others too!’

‘Tak-’

‘Leave it. I will make sure they will never starry in any program on our TV ever again, mark my words! Hmph!’ The producer dropped the script and was about to leave when he noticed confused Mezzo. He quickly changed his expression from angry to happy one.

_What a fake bastard_ , Tamaki thought.

‘Ah Mezzo! At least you are on time, as usual. Good for you, at least one office can make things work like a charm!’ He patted their shoulders ‘Don’t be like ZOOL, you two. You are much more capable and reliable unlike some no-names’

Tamaki was almost ready to tell that old gezer to shut up with his fist and by giving Sougo a side glance, he was sure that Sougo thought the same. Instead, he asked him calmly.

‘I apologize for my rudeness, but may we know what happened? ZOOL are our-’

‘Hah, what didn’t happen I’d ask! Those idiots cancelled their appearance last minute and we have a hole in the program slot! If it was only one member then I wouldn’t mind but not a whole group! Even worse, they cancelled all of their appearances in our TV station for the next two weeks! They had few jobs booked because others wanted to make sure they appeared and their manager was eager as hell to make sure they got those jobs…’

The more he talked, the more pissed off Tamaki was, Sougo squeezing his hand gently just in case. If that guy got angry at ZOOL for some reason, then they’d rather not risk him snapping at them as well. Soon their dialogue, or rather producer’s monologue, came to an end and he went to complain to someone else. Both Tamaki and Sougo looked at each other, worried, until a person that was talking with the producer approached them.

‘You informed that… guy about ZOOL, right?’

‘That’s right… Takanori-san didn’t let me finish, I feel like I am disrespecting Tsukumo-san’s wish… Oh dear, it’s such a disaster’ She put her hand on her cheek and sighed.

‘Can you tell us? I’m gettin’ worried because Isumin is in ZOOL and we are like, friends. He wasn’t responding to me on rabbichat recently’ Tamaki said without thinking, Sougo trying to tell him that they shouldn’t ask but the lady shook her head.

‘It’s alright... Actually, it’s about Isumi-kun.’

‘Huh? What happened to Isumin!?’

‘Tamaki-kun shh- Can you please tell us?’ Sougo looked behind them, in case someone else was there. The woman lowered her head, wearing a sad expression.

‘The reason for cancelling… I was supposed to deliver the message to Producer Takanori but he tends to not listen to the others and jump to his own conclusions. Everyone knows about it, I should have taken a different approach’ She said and took a deep breath, looking at Mezzo again.

‘I know that you two are friends with ZOOL, so I will tell you… but please keep it a secret.’

‘We will. Tell us?’

There was a long silence before she finally told them, making Tamaki’s hands drop and Sougo wear a shocked expression.

‘ZOOL-san… has to attend a funeral of Isumi-kun’s only family member.’

*******

The rain downpour hasn't stopped since that day. Actually, it got even worse.

‘Haruka-kun… you must be grieving a lot now. I’m so, so sorry.’

‘...’

Haruka couldn’t really hear any of them. Those people were coming, speaking to him, their faces being sad, some even crying. He wasn’t sure if he even knew some of those people. He didn’t recall their faces, all of them blending into one. He couldn’t cry at all, just quietly accepted all of the condolences. 

Everything was overwhelming.

Silent words of sympathy. Smell of the incense. Dim lights inside the funeral house. The priests chanting sutras.

Everything felt just like a bad dream. A bad dream that he wasn’t able to wake up from.

But no matter how much he wanted to deny it, deny all the events from the past few days, the picture on the top of the casket covered with flowers was a grim reminder of the reality he was about to face. It wasn’t something that could be avoided and yet it hit him even more than he expected it to be. It was too soon.

His grandma was _dead._

***

The ceremony had ended and Haruka was standing alone inside the room with his grandma’s casket. Looking at him from that distance made him look so small. Even smaller than he actually was.

Torao, Minami, Touma and Ryo were all waiting outside, watching everyone leave in complete silence, heavy rain pouring down onto everything on its way. No one dared to say anything, all of them looking down… for a good reason. Each of them tried to not return to that day, but it was something that surely left a scar on them.

It’s been the second death they had to face together and yet, neither of them was ready for such a thing happening. Neither of them was ready to witness this-

Haruka was the least ready to face death again. That’s why it hurt him the most. It all replayed in their minds like a high definition video, looping over and over.

***

‘GRANDMA- Grand-... no-’ Haruka staggered away, his back hitting the wall. His hand slipped, making everything that was on the cabinet fall onto the ground. His phone fell down onto the carpet, the light source now facing the ceiling. Literally few seconds later everyone came to his side, Ryo dropping the bag with present to the ground and-

‘...Shit’ He cursed under his breath. Now, the smell was pretty obvious. Having been previously in ‘good’ relations with the bad guys taught many things in his life, helpful or not. As much as he didn't want to go back to those times, once you come to know that smell, it will be hard to forget it. It’s not the first time he saw ‘this’. With shaky hands, all of them turned their light sources deeper into the room and finally saw it. Minami had to cover his mouth, Torao and Touma turned their gazes away, shocked. 

As much as they wanted to move, do something, there was… nothing to be done at this point.

‘S….she’s…’

Finally, Haruka made a step into the room. One slow step.

‘..H...hey… it’s a joke, right? Grandma just collapsed… ? Right…?’

There was no response, not until Haruka wanted to take another step and Ryo caught his shoulder. He could literally see Haruka start shaking and his breath speed up.

‘R-R-Ryo-san..?’  
  


‘Someone… take Haruka outside.’

‘W...What are you talking-’  
  


‘Go. Don’t make me repeat this twice!’ His grip on Haruka’s shoulder grew stronger, until finally Touma moved and pulled Haruka along with Torao to the entrance. At first, Haruka wasn’t responding, but once they got outside they could hear him yell, audible despite the rainfall. Minami and Ryo were left alone in the flat, both swallowing nervously.

‘...She’s dead, Ryo-san’ Minami spoke after an almost endless pause, putting his free hand onto Ryo’s shoulder and grasping it tightly ‘I… I can’t believe this. She was just...’ 

Minami’s voice was hardly above a whisper, barely reaching Ryo’s ears. It was going to echo in his mind for the next few weeks, just like Haruka’s cries mixed with the sounds of rain.

***

‘...The night service should begin soon. There is no one to stay with Isumi-san as he was the only family of hers. Everyone else also gave their condolences and left’ Minami broke the silence that overlapped them ‘I will stay with him. I know I am not a family member, however I’d rather not leave him alone like this.’

‘Maybe we should all stay. As Minami says, he shouldn’t be left alone, especially not like this’ Torao said quietly and was about to turn back and go inside.

‘I will stay. You go home’ Ryo let his hands loose and turned around to them ‘You all should rest as well. It wasn’t a pleasant event and I’m sure all of you need to calm down. I will stay with Haruka for the night service and then drive him back home.’

‘Ryo-san… Are you sure?’ Touma asked with a worried expression ‘We can all support Haru... He needs it, right?’

‘It’s fine. I took care of all matters regarding your work, so neither of you is booked for the nearest week. Go and rest. Try to…’ He collected his thoughts and sighed ‘Try to… forget about what you saw. Go, shoo shoo. Don’t make me repeat myself twice’ He waved at them dismissively, all three of them nodding and giving the last slight bow in the direction of Haruka and the casket, before getting under umbrellas and leaving Ryo along with the boy alone. The man went back into the hall and took place next to Haruka, who was still looking at the ground. Ryo looked at the flowery altar and picture in the center. It was a picture of an older woman smiling gently, but unfortunately in Ryo’s case it was the only smile of hers that he would ever know now. He turned his gaze back to Haruka who was quiet. He had many thoughts coming through his mind at that time. _When did that happen? Why did it happen?_

They got an answer for some of those, yet it wasn’t making things any better. For Haruka, it was hard to face the truth that was about to come anyway. For Ryo on the other hand-

It was something that he couldn’t understand. He knew that he was rotten to the core, he was perfectly aware of his wicked personality but for the first time something like this moved him.

What’s more, it wasn’t even a death of someone he had known. He never managed to meet that woman. He never got to talk to her, all he knew about her was the fact she raised Haruka alone and she had a leaking rooftop. She wasn’t anyone spectacular, not someone that could move everyone’s hearts, yet seeing her laying down in that kitchen like a log made Ryo's guts twist unpleasantly. He knew that it wasn’t only her that made him feel this way.

It was _Haruka._

Everytime he closed his eyes he saw Haruka standing in the rain, his face and clothes completely wet, yelling and asking _‘Why, why?’_. If he was the same person as before he would probably enjoy such display of pure despair and sorrow, thinking ‘Serves you a right! You deserve it!’. He would love to see others dwell in agony.

But that wasn’t the case anymore. Watching Haruka cry was something absolutely agonizing. Touma was crouching under the wall, hiding his face inside his hands, Torao was trying to speak to Haruka but anyone could see how powerless he suddenly felt. Minami was just standing behind Ryo, hiding his face into his shoulder.

Once those big, golden eyes looked at him, something broke inside him. He couldn’t move his limbs despite feeling how the water was making his clothes and hair wet, the coldness entering all of his being. Finally, Haruka sank to his knees and went quiet. 

Ryo felt something pull on his sleeve, so he opened his eyes again, facing Haruka. Now that he got a good look at his face, he could see how tired eyes looked. There were obvious signs of lack of sleep.

‘...Why… did you stay…?’ Haruka asked with a voice so small it didn’t sound like him at all. Haruka always spoke confidently, with pride - now, he looked like a scared kitten that got hit with a stick a few times.

‘Someone… had to, Haruka. You can’t be here alone for the night service.’

‘... Is...that so… you don’t have to...force-’

‘I’m not forcing myself. It’s alright.’

Was this something you are supposed to say to someone deep in grief? Ryo couldn't recall himself attending many funerals in the past, besides his own grandfather that he still hated with passion. He hated everything that was family related - birthdays, name days, weddings, funerals. The rule that he followed was to turn off his mind for those few hours, pretend to have fun or mourn and then go back to his usual self. He never had any attachments to his family or to people in general.

That’s why he had no idea what to tell Haruka. Try to cheer him up? Tell him that everything will be alright? Ask him about nice memories of his grandma?

None of those things felt correct. All he could do was just stare at him and-

‘... Ryo-san… I… I’m sorry.’

‘Why are you apologizing?’

Haruka sniffed.

‘Because… we didn’t make it… you didn’t meet grandma… even though… I promised...’

I failed your expectations, Haruka says. Ryo doesn’t understand. He didn’t have any expectations. It was Haruka’s wish for them to meet. He agreed because it would make him happy.

‘It couldn’t be helped. Once we got there, it was too late’ He responded quietly.

We couldn’t do anything, he wanted to say. It wasn’t something that I could decide about. 

Haruka sniffed again, looking in the direction of the flowery altar.

‘Grandma really wanted to meet you. I told her… a lot about you.’

‘That’s… nice.’

Haruka nodded, Ryo quickly noticing how his shoulders began to shake.

‘I….I…’ The boy tried to wipe his face, but small drops still fell onto his trousers. He lowered his head again, quiet sobs coming out from him. The mask that he kept on through the whole ceremony finally started to break down.

‘I… wanted her to meet you the most. Grandma… Grandma was worried…’ Another sob ‘She was worried… I got into something bad again.... She even told me that it was a good thing that I quit Tsukumo… and that I should go back home… but-!’

Tears were falling down from Haruka’s already red and puffy eyes. 

‘Haruka…’

‘I wanted her to meet you, so she would stop being worried! I told her… I told her that despite all the stuff that happened before, you…’ More sobs broke Haruka’s speech as he slowly raised his head up and looked at Ryo.

‘I wanted… to show her… that I found a person.... a … a person that wasn’t like Kujo…! Someone that… gave me at least a hint of… of...’

Tsukumo’s eyes widened.

Words died inside his mouth, only loud thunder outside responding to Haruka’s claim. The funeral house became quiet again, as Haruka hid his face into his manager’s chest and cried.

He couldn’t force himself to say anything but…

Perhaps this was what Haruka didn’t want to tell him about that day, under the convenience store.

***

‘Minami… you can’t sleep again?’

‘Sleep is the last thing I want to do right now, honestly…’

Torao embraced Minami’s waist as they laid down in their hotel room. The lights were long turned off and the clock on the nightstand showed 2:45 am. Neither of them could calm down enough or find a reason to actually do what their manager ordered them to do. Going to rest suddenly felt like the hardest task to perform.

‘You have eyebags, Minami. You have to at least take a nap’

‘Midou-san. If I close my eyes, I’m afraid I will see things that I do not wish to see again. Though, I could say the same about you not being able to sleep’ Minami tried to sound angry but all of it was just a weak effort. 

‘Right. I don’t think I will get any sleep tonight… That kid won’t either. Ryo-san messaged me that they came back home and Haruka closed himself in his bedroom. Once everyone left, he broke down completely.’

‘I see… We will stay here for few days, right? Where did Inumaru-san go?’

‘He went back to his mother’s house. He also messaged me that Nanase haven't responded to him for few days now and he is going crazy about it. He has a bad feeling about this.’

Minami sighed deeply, turning around and hiding his face inside Torao’s chest. His arms went from embracing his waist to gently caressing his back in a soothing manner.

Torao barely could hide emotions written on his face at this point. At first, he saw Minami grieving over the loss of Sakura Haruki. He felt emptiness despite not knowing that man as well as Minami did, but it wasn’t as overbearing as the death of that older woman that he actually used to know. They weren’t close with her, yet they did meet, spend some time together and simply enjoyed each other’s company. Torao recalled those pleasant memories, but they became dark and sad as quick as they appeared.

Looking at that small frame inside his arms, he couldn’t even imagine how hard it had to be for Minami to bear with those feelings. Seeing Haruka’s grandma dead in that flat was one, but actually watching Haruka in complete anguish was something that made him want to rip his own heart out of his chest, so it would stop hurting.

_It was painful._

‘...Minami, do you… want me to do anything for you?’ He whispered, his hands coming to halt ‘I can’t do much but-’

‘Midou-san… you don’t need to pretend that you are fine. Just… allow me to stay in your arms like this and not think of dreams that make me slowly lose my sanity.’

As Minami’s grip on Torao’s shirt became tighter, Torao decided not to prolong this talk. He knew that Minami was suffering from lack of proper sleep even before that incident. Now, he almost didn’t sleep because everytime he had closed his eyes-

_‘I see Sakura-san on the floor instead of Isumi-san’s grandma, staring at me and asking ‘What took you so long. You are no better than Zero.’_

  
  


***

‘Shit… so this is what happened.’ 

The next day during breakfast, Mezzo along with Yamato, Nagi and Mitsuki sat down in their dining hall, discussing the information they received about ZOOL.

‘So the reason why Isumin wasn’t responding… is because his granny died…’ Tamaki spoke, holding a King Pudding cup in his hands and staring at it with sad eyes.

‘That’s right. I have called Midou-san to ask about this matter and offer condolences. It seems that ZOOL is in very bad condition’ Sougo added ‘All of them are on short hiatus now, but depending on Tsukumo-san’s choice, we may see them again soon or not...’

‘This is unfortunate… Natsume-shi has mentioned to me that he dreamed of Haruki recently, but neither of those were pleasant dreams. Facing the death of an another person he used to know must be only opening a wound that wasn’t even healed yet’ Nagi mentioned quietly. It haven't been the only issue that Idolish7 had to face recently so everyone's faces were grim.

‘Mitsu… your egg is turning black’ Yamato said as he felt the smell of something burning. Mitsuki was just standing in front of the frying pan with no expression whatsoever. He let out a small gasp and quickly tried to save the unfortunate egg.

‘What’s wrong with you? I know that this thing is sad but…’

‘You know what I am worried about, Yamato-san. ZOOL’s thing doesn’t make it any better. My little brother acting strange is also an issue that doesn’t let me sleep at night’ Mitsuki told him while putting the food on the plate and turning off the kettle ‘Actually, I feel like something bad is about to happen. I don’t want to say it for sure, I’d like to avoid it but-’

Everyone gathered here knew what Mitsuki was talking about - a thing with Iori and Riku that had been bothering them for a while. News about Haruka only made everyone’s mood go even lower than before.

A sudden doorbell brought everyone back to reality, Sougo standing up and saying that he will go and see who it is.

‘If it’s Riku’s fans again, just leave them be’ Yamato mentioned before turning back to his coffee ‘Honestly, those guys have started to piss me off recently. Fans are one thing, but after they started to cause trouble around it became messy.’

‘Manager even considered moving out to another location because of the recent events. The neighbours are still complaining and I totally can't blame them. Some fans even tried to break into our dorm. Not to mention, Riku got attacked by them as well and he got a really awful attack because of it.’

‘Isn’t that a crime at this point? They acted as if touching Riku is gonna bring them some sort of salvation. Fucking weirdos.’

Their talk got interrupted by fast steps and the door opening widely, no one else but Touma standing in them with Sougo soon reaching him and standing behind.

‘You guys. I’m fucking done with this already!’ He yelled at them, not bothering with their confused expressions ‘Where is Riku?!’

‘Inumaru-’ Tamaki stood up quickly and approached Touma when Sougo blocked his way.

‘What’s with Isumin!?’ Touma’s angry look quickly faded, giving Tamaki only a sigh in reply.

‘...I will tell you later. Now, let me see Riku, could you?’

  
‘It can't wait! Isumin haven't responded to me in forever and now I hear that his grandma is-’

‘Don’t say it. Shut up. Out of my way!’ Touma tried to move Tamaki but he stood there like a log, instead pulling both him and Sougo inside and closing the door with a loud thud. Touma was seated at their dining table, all of them looking at him suspiciously.

‘You are at our place, don’t forget that. Riku’s not here, he’s at work.’

‘At work again… Do you guys even see each other? Do you see Riku? Because I don’t fucking see him at all!’ He used his fist to hit the table top ‘It’s been few weeks since Riku began to act strange and now he doesn’t even respond to my calls or messages.’

Noticing how everyone turned away their gazes made him laugh pitifully.

‘I see… So something is on. You are fucking hiding something!’

‘Don’t think you own Riku just because you and him are dating, so calm down your ass!’ Mitsuki responded, raising his voice as well ‘If you are worried, we understand that goddamit! But that doesn’t mean you can just drop here so casually and yell at us!’

Touma’s angry demeanor quickly got replaced with a sad one, lowering his head and sliding his hand across his face.

‘...I’m sorry. I just... I just feel like I’m going crazy at this point’ He whispered ‘So much shit happened in past few days I feel like ticking bomb.’

‘I understand… kinda. We heard some details. Tamaki has been restless ever since he heard about Haruka-kun’s loss.’

‘His loss… hah…’ Touma shook his head ‘It’s… it’s a disaster, guys. For Haru, it’s a complete disaster.’

Touma briefly disclosed what happened, skipping the details that he felt weren’t proper for this conversation. He could see how everyone’s expression began to change until in the end, all of them went completely quiet. 

Tamaki was just staring into his cup with wide eyes.

‘...So…. Isumin… He is…’

‘Haru is staying with Ryo-san for now… We were instructed to rest and try to forget about it, but like hell I will forget. I was so restless and angry and that’s why I... stormed here, hoping that I could at least speak to Riku. I am… worried, you get it? Please, if there is something then tell me before I go completely crazy!’

‘...You know, actually there is a thing-’

Before Yamato could continue his talk, all of them heard fast steps and once again the door opened widely, this time Tsumugi standing in them. All of her clothes were wet and her eyes were full of tears.

‘Everyone…! This is… this is horrible…!’

‘Manager! What’s wrong?!’

Tsumugi seemed to had been running so she had to take a few breaths before finally spilling something that completely stabbed the rest of the gathered people, including Touma.

‘Riku-san… Riku-san is…!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the part 2 of Manger au which I call 'true main story'. I have many things planned for this specific part and I hope I managed to make it as realistic as possible. I admit that I had to read a shitton of websites about Japanese Funeral proceedings and I still feel like I perhaps did something wrong - in that case, I am sorry.
> 
> We are entering a new stage of development for all of ZOOL and Ryo. In case if you wonder what exactly happened to Fly Away combo - I leave it up to your imagination. 
> 
> As usual, hit me on twitter/discord/comments and yell at me to your heart content!
> 
> Edit: now with minor changes as author 2 ran a beta on this chapter


	10. After Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violence creates only more problems, never solves them. Silly child you are.

‘Haru-chan?’

A voice called out to Haruka, making him rise his head. He was so much into this new mobile game he downloaded that he almost forgot about the world around him.

‘What is it, grandma?’

‘I heard your program in the radio when I was peeling vegetables. You were together with that friend from school… Yotsuba-kun, was it? I don’t remember…’

‘We aren’t school friends anymore, I’ve graduated already.’

‘So, now you are just friends?’ 

Haruka huffed quietly, his grandma giggling. She put a cup of tea on Haruka’s desk.

‘It’s been a while since you came to stay here for a night. I hope you are sleeping and eating well, Haru-chan.’

‘I do, don’t worry. After all, Touma is cooking for all of us!’

‘Oh my! So that boy can cook? I don’t recall him mentioning that…’ She sat down on the bed next to Haruka ‘You need to tell me more about that new place of yours.’

‘There is…’ Haruka put the phone down and straightened his back. He wasn’t sure if grandma was ready for that talk where he would casually mention that they basically forced their way into their manager’s house and live in his living room. How is that even possible, anyone would ask.

_ Why does it not bother me _ , Haruka thought and smiled to himself.

‘It’s really nice, you know. Though seeing Ryo-san everyday is a bit weird, he looks so funny when he wakes up and his face shows nothing more than just “cofy please”’ Haruka changed tone of his voice to parody their manager, causing his grandma to laugh.

‘But you know… I remember you complaining about him a lot. Saying that he is an eccentric individual’ She put a hand on her cheek ‘I was stressed, hoping that your manager won’t turn out like that previous man. You know, that uh… I forgot his name, see how older people memory works, Haru-chan!’ 

‘No need to remember him, grandma. He doesn’t deserve it anyway’ Haruka said in a spiteful manner ‘But you know, Ryo-san isn’t like that. I did think that he was bad and I wanted to do things to anger him sometimes but…’

‘But?’

‘Now, I think I shouldn’t. He is working hard for us. I can often see him sitting in front of his laptop or with phone in his hand. Many times I had to wake him up so he would go and sleep in his bed instead of his desk.’

‘Oh no! But that’s very unhealthy. Why is he doing all of this work alone? He surely knows some people that could help-’

‘He… used to know. Now, things got a bit complicated, grandma’ Haruka noticed uneasiness appearing at his grandma’s face, so he continued ‘But don’t worry. It’s not like we are meeting our wits ends. Ryo-san turned out to be more capable and responsible than that man ever would.’

‘Haru-chan…’ Haruka’s grandma put her hand on his head, caressing his hair gently ‘You know… Grandma is really happy for you. Even if sometimes I worry too much because of all those bad people around. Last thing I want to do is to see you cry.’

The boy enjoyed the touch, so he ended up putting his head on his grandma’s shoulder.

‘I won’t cry. I’m big already. Don’t worry about me, rather worry about Ryo-san!’

Grandma hummed to herself as if thinking of something when she finally spoke.

‘You are sure worried about that Ryo-san. How about we invite everyone over for a dinner then? All of your friends do know me, but I would worry less if I met that man too.’

Haruka opened his mouth in shape of literal O.

‘Y-You want to meet Ryo-san?’

‘Why not? If he is the one who is taking care of my Haru-chan, then I want to meet him. I can make something good for all of us… Oh, maybe even hotpot! Though the weather is already warm…’ She was mumbling to herself, noticing how a smile appeared on her grandson’s face. Haruka stood up and took her hands into his own, nodding.

‘Fine! I will bring everyone over, and Ryo-san too. Haha. Somehow, it makes me really happy, you know, grandma!’

She smiled to him, her hands squeezing his own. Haruka looked at them, wanting to say that he even has an idea what grandma can cook. It’s going to be fun and she will see that Ryo-san is actually a really nice person and--

  
  
  
  
  


Once he blinked, all he saw were light brown chopsticks and white pieces in front of him. The boy’s eyes widened, sound of static mixing with sounds of rain inside his head until it became unbearable.

He couldn’t do it.

It was… ----

_ Please, stop it. _

***

When Haruka opened his eyes, a sound of rain reached his ears again. He probably dozed off, but he’d rather not close his eyes again. Each time he’s done it, the events from past few days were replaying in front of him, now adding bits from the funeral ceremony.

All of it felt so surreal and he was completely alone in this. 

The sound coming from his stomach made him shift a little bit, covering himself with the bedsheets even more. He recalled that he hadn’t eaten anything for a while, a task of moving his body out of this room suddenly being too hard.

He could hear footsteps outside the room, thinking that probably ZOOL or Ryo were at home. Perhaps he should stand up and move, go see the others.

He couldn’t do that. The bedsheets covering his body felt like an armor or some sort of protection from the cold world outside. Being unable to move, Haruka buried himself deeper, covering his face completely. 

Even the sound of rain wasn’t bothering him at this point. Just silence.

  
  


***

  
  


Ryo had no idea what to do with himself. 

He haven’t got any sleep that night when he and Haruka returned from the night service. In the morning, Haruka had to go to finish some stuff by himself, but judging by his face when Ryo came to pick him up, it wasn’t something that the boy would like to remember. They were driving in complete silence and once they arrived, he locked himself in Ryo’s bedroom and refused to leave. Minami told Ryo to not approach him for now and just let him grief in peace.

Why was it frustrating him so much that he couldn’t talk to Haruka like usual? Just few days ago they were laughing, talking about new possible projects and the amount of work that will soon befall on them-

Speaking of work, Ryo didn’t even want to open his mailbox or text messages on the phone. He made sure to cancel all of ZOOL’s appearances in anything for the remaining week, but he already received few angry emails telling him that it’s unprofessional (with the biggest amount of keigo he had seen in his life. Absolutely awful!), some of them asking for the reason of cancellation, others just straight up sending a bill with cancellation fees. Once, Ryo wouldn’t be really bothered by that, the money was always there and spending some didn’t bother him but now it was a completely new situation. Their funds were not unlimited and he didn’t want to depend on Torao’s emergency funds either.

The man shook his head, trying to not think about it. He didn’t want to add more nerves to his stomach pain than he already had. He had been trying to avoid eating not to hurt his fragile body… though it may be the reason why his stomach hurt in the first place.

His footsteps led him towards his bedroom door, the food that was set in front of it was still there, completely untouched. It was already ice cold, so Ryo moved it to the side and stood in front of the door. His hand was hovering over the doorknob, ready to open and disregard Minami’s warning, yet he couldn’t do it. He stood there for a while until he finally let his hand drop to the side and walked away. It was not the first time he’s done it in past few hours, but it was definitely the first time where he was so sure that he would enter the room. He had failed again.

‘....It’s so quiet without them in here’ He said to himself as he laid down on the couch. Looking from the right to the left, the house was empty.

Suddenly being alone in his own house felt foreign.

He was deep inside his thoughts when he felt his phone suddenly vibrate, so he sat up, took it angrily into his hand, ready to press red button and tell the person to fuck off if the caller wasn’t Touma. He sighed and picked up the call.

‘What’s wrong, Touma? I told you to not ca-’

Touma was sobbing.

‘...Touma?’ Ryo asked hesitantly after a short pause. His fingers clenched on the device, a bad feeling once again creeping from behind.

‘..R...Ryo-san… I’m… I’m so sorry…!’ Touma spoke, as if trying to calm himself down. No words could come to their manager’s mind as he listened to him speak ‘I’m so sorry… I just… I couldn’t help it…!’

‘...Calm down. What…’ He took a deep breath ‘What happened?’

‘You… didn’t read my messages? Riku is at the hospital’ Touma said quietly, but for Ryo it was enough to stand up and almost yell. Somehow, his voice couldn’t come out.

‘H...Hospital? What in the world? His illness?’ Ryo expected a lot but he didn’t expect Touma to laugh. Actually, laugh in a very pitiful manner.

‘Illness… I wish it was illness, Ryo-san.’ 

‘...?’

‘That’s not what… I want to talk about…I fucked up so badly… I...’ Touma sniffed, probably taking few deeper breaths. What came later, was something Ryo would never expect to hear, especially not now.

‘Ryo-san… perhaps I will be forced to go to the court soon.’

Once complete silence was the only answer inside his phone, Ryo hung up on the call, the device sliding down from his hand. Laying down onto the couch, he just kept staring at the ceiling. Perhaps now, all he wished for was to close his eyes and let the pleasant embrace of Morpheus take him in.

  
  


***

Torao was angry. Incredibly angry and that’s why he was holding Touma by his shoulders, shaking him.

‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU JUST FUCKING DID!? Touma, for… GOD!’ There was so much anger in his eyes. Touma could barely see it though, as everything was blurry to him.

‘I HAD NO CHOICE!’ 

‘Oh, you did, Inumaru-san. It’s called MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS, despite the circumstances’ Minami, who stood next to them, put his hand on Torao’s shoulder ‘Midou-san, let him go. I’d rather avoid another conflict or you two throwing fists at each other’

Torao forcefully let Touma go, though he may have pushed him a little bit too hard. Touma’s back hit the wall of the room and he let out a small pained sound.

‘You… You don’t understand it…?’ Touma murmured and used his sleeve to wipe his face, though tears had not stopped flowing from his eyes. He sniffed twice and looked back at his friends ‘This situation basically shows how much of a shitty person I am! I couldn’t help the one I love, do you understand?! I couldn’t do it… fuck…. FUCK!’ He turned around and hit the wall with his fist. Both Torao and Minami could just stand behind him and gaze in silence. 

‘... First of all, Inumaru-san…’ Minami spoke after a long pause ‘Are you fully aware of what you have done at that hospital? Or rather should I ask, are you aware of the consequences of what you have done?’ While he tried to sound threatening, Torao could see his lip tremble. He put a facade of someone who was thinking responsibly but… he was afraid.

Touma didn’t answer, instead he just let his head lean against the wall. His head felt heavy yet empty at the same time. Looking at his fist, he saw red marks on it and recalled how it felt when he used it. It felt so light to raise a hand in anger, but now the heavy responsibility was about to befall onto his shoulders and perhaps crush not only him, but all of ZOOL.

All because he raised his hand at Izumi Iori.

***

Last few days were horrible, Ryo thinks once he opened his eyes again. Because of that nap that lasted god knows how long his head hurt so bad he wanted to cry. Looking outside, the weather was still awful, he couldn’t see anything through the rain. He sat down, used his hand to pull his hair back and walked in the direction of bathroom. However, when he opened the door to the main corridor, in front of him appeared…

Another door.

_ /What kind of joke is this?/ _

When Ryo put his hand on the doorknob again, he saw another door. Another door and another. All of them looked the same, opened the same way.

Finally, one of the doors opened and displayed his bedroom, despite Ryo not even approaching that room. Not knowing why, he entered the room and once he turned around he noticed that the door was gone. Touching the wall to find the light switch didn’t help, as it was not there.

However, he could see his bedroom clearly once a lightning outside split the sky and he saw no one else but Haruka laying down on the floor. His feet quickly carried him towards the boy, even if he was basically tripping on them.

Once he dropped onto the floor and shook Haruka’s shoulder, he noticed that his voice was gone. He tried to yell but no sound left his mouth. Shaking Haruka’s shoulders didn’t help, he couldn’t see his expression but his skin felt cold. Everything felt cold and then, like an echo, he could hear it inside his head. The cold touch was creeping into his skin.

_ ‘Now you suddenly care? Don’t make me laugh.’ _

It was Haruka’s voice.

  
  


***

Another thunder outside woke Ryo up, this time for real. He bolted out of the couch and approached the door to the corridor - it opened without a problem, displaying the usual walls. Grabbing the doorknob to the bedroom he entered the room and looked around. The light switch on the wall worked like it should, the dim lights brightening up the room. 

It took him a while to notice Haruka sleeping on the bed, covered head to toe with his silky bed sheets. A quick check on him confirmed that he was just asleep and he wasn’t cold or anything. With his chest feeling much lighter Ryo sighed in relief.

He quickly turned off the light so he wouldn’t wake Haruka up and sat down next to him, making sure that everything is alright. He wasn’t sure why the uneasy feeling in his chest made him panic so much. Possibility of Haruka meeting the same end as his grandma? Nonexistent.

It was not possible, he told himself.

Once he was sure that there would be no change in the situation he left the room, took the food that was in front of the door and put it into the fridge, hoping that the boy would eat it later.

Sitting down in front of the table with a phone in his hand, he finally read the messages from Touma that confirmed his words from earlier. He reached the message from the little bird Takanashi too, the title of it being just a gloom reminder of what was about to come.

_ /In regards of the violent act against Idolish7 member/ _

Ryo put down the phone and hid his face into his hands. What else was going to happen in next 24 hours from now on? Why did everything suddenly go downhill?

Why did it happen to them?

***

It’s been few days since that unfortunate day yet no one’s mood had improved. The atmosphere was still heavy and filled with unpleasant feelings, just like rain outside that wasn’t stopping at all. Japanese news had already reported multiple floodings around various prefectures, many people were left without electricity or clean water to drink. All of the schedules for the idols were either postponed or moved to another locations. For ZOOL it didn’t really matter because their work got cancelled in general per their own request. They had enough worries on their own, not being able to starry in this or that program, variety show or anything wasn’t that bad. 

None of them would be able to work in those conditions anyway.

Ryo closed the door behind the hospital room that said ‘Izumi Iori-san’ on it. There was nothing more to say to Takanashi Tsumugi who was looking down as well. The man noticed that she wanted to open her mouth to say something, but he just halted her with his hand and shook his head. She lowered her head and let him pass next to her.

Today, he came to the hospital to perform one of his manager duties which is apologizing for the trouble on behalf of his idols. He hated that part, he was too proud to apologize for anything as he never felt like the part of said problem. Hell, he couldn’t apologize to Trigger because he was still simply unable to say it.

However today the words flowed from his mouth too easily. He surprised even himself, Iori had a shocked expression as well. 

‘...It’s a surreal experience to hear you say that, Tsukumo-san.’

‘I… know. Trust me, Izumi. I know.’

He came here today to apologize for the incident that happened few days earlier. According to Touma, they came to the hospital along with rest of Idolish7 once they heard Riku was there and his condition was not good. Iori was already there and a fight broke between them, resulting in Touma actually hitting Iori few times and yelling at him, causing a small scene. Younger Izumi ended up with bruises on his face, bloody nose and other injuries. He was put under observation just in case before he will be able to go.

While it was never voiced, perhaps all of Idolish and Touma knew the true reason behind Riku’s said ‘accident’. No one wanted to admit it, so they just kept it inside their minds, even if it was making things worse.

_ Iori probably felt the most guilty, keeping it behind the face that held no emotions. _

Since Riku was said to not accept any visitors, Ryo had no other choice but to head to the exit. He would probably go home, try to rest if possible and answer few more angry emails about ZOOL promising mountains but leaving everyone with few golden coins. The sole thought made Ryo bit his lip and walk faster until he noticed a familiar light hair in front of him, the eyes with shade of deep pink staring at him.

‘...Allow me to pass, Kujo’ Ryo tried to sound as nice as possible, though Tenn could clearly feel the spike of poison in his words. Tsukumo could barely hold his emotions in check, Kujo Tenn being the last person he’d like to see today.

‘...Can we talk, Tsukumo-san?’

That question surprised him though. 

‘What do you want?’ Tenn turned around and nodded for them to go outside. Without a word, Ryo followed him. Once they stood under the rooftop, the rain falling down from the sky so heavily, he understood why Tenn chose a place like this. They could barely hear each other, so people who passed next to them wouldn’t hear much either.

‘So? Make it quick, Kujo.’

‘Depends on your answer, we will see if it’s going to be quick or not… but tell me.’

An obvious question came along with piercing stare of Japan’s modern angel.

‘How could you let your idol get into a fight with Izumi Iori?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for lots of comments, yelling and wanting to strangle me, guys! I can see that you are enjoying manager au a lot, despite painful content.
> 
> Yes, Touma did some shit while in anger and now all of ZOOL along with Ryo will suffer consequences but DON'T WORRY, it's not the end of problems. (... :) 
> 
> As usual, hit me with any questions or just yelling at discord, twitter or just in comments here. I will try to update once per 2-4 days, but I can't promise much.


	11. Wish upon fallen star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So they dug your grave  
> And the masquerade  
> Will come calling out  
> At the mess you made" - Imagine Dragons "Demons"

‘Teacher, what is that word?’ 

The woman looked over the book boy was holding in his hands.

‘You read this word as ‘wish’. You know what wishing is, right, Tsukumo-sama?’

‘I do not. Tell me.’

‘Oh… for example, when you really, really want a certain toy from the store, you say ‘I wish to get that one’. You can also use it when you want your parents to be well, then you wish them to be healthy.’

‘But if I don’t want a toy or that… then why use this word?’

Golden eyes were staring deeply at the teacher’s face. It seemed that she was struggling with finding another explanation. 

‘Is there anything you really want then, Tsukumo-sama?’

‘....No. I don’t want anything. I don’t even want to be here’ He said.

Few days later, he was told that he will receive a new teacher. Previous one suddenly ‘resigned’.

Just like 4 others before her. She was no different.

‘Mm… Perhaps this is what that word is for… there is an opposite meaning as well.’ 

Tsukumo Ryo, aged 7 was sitting with book in hands and reading, his room dark with the only source of light being a small lamp at the bedside. He managed to find all the kanji in the dictionary anyway, there was no need for teachers but his parents were too eager.

_“Wishes are fickle. Sometimes, they cannot be guaranteed. People wish for things they cannot get, in hopes that one day, their wishes would come true.”_

‘My wish… I wonder how it feels to have one.’

***

‘I did not wish for this to happen’ Ryo said, feeling Kujo Tenn’s stare on himself. Being alone with a person like this shouldn’t be a problem for him, after all what could he do?

That’s at least what Ryo thought. He felt incredibly vulnerable out of sudden, the idol’s gaze literally piercing him just like the overbearing cold from outside.

‘That’s not what I asked for. But thank you for being honest at least once’ Tenn answered and leaned against the wall. Silence was not the right word to use in this situation, because the rain made a lot of noise. People were casually passing by close to them, entering and leaving the hospital building.

‘I don’t know the reason, Kujo’ Ryo finally spoke ‘But it doesn’t change the fact that it happened and my idol is in trouble now. I need to think what to do in this situation. It’s not my only worry at this point, you know.’

‘...Good to know that you are aware of the real consequences for once, Tsukumo-san. But I need to inform you that you have failed as a manager in that situation.’

Ryo bit his lip. Was Kujo using this situation to anger him even more? He sure had a reason for it, but why now? Why now, when he didn’t even have a mental capacity to fight back? Does it feel good to beat someone who has already fallen?

‘You don’t need to tell me that.’

‘...Inumaru-san is an idiot, but I understand him’ Tenn mentioned quietly, Ryo looking back at him questioningly. 

‘He did it to protect Riku, even if it was already too late. It reached my ears that Izumi Iori was part of the reason why the accident happened. He got angry because of what happened. Raising a hand at a fellow idol was easier than solving this problem another way. I understand him, and as wrong as it sounds, I should thank him for what happened.’

‘Kujo…?’

‘Tsukumo-san. I’m afraid that if your idol wouldn’t made it clear to Izumi Iori that Riku is a human being and not a plaything… you wouldn’t be the only manager who would get upset. Anesagi-san would probably be crying.’

_Ah. So that was it._ Ryo understood what Tenn meant by those words. He didn’t even have the power to laugh bitterly at the fact Kujo Tenn would willingly show Izumi Iori his place. 

‘Though… that’s not the only thing I wanted to ask you about’ Tenn shifted his position a bit and covered himself with his jacket more ‘It’s about Isumi-san. Will you tell me?’

‘That shouldn’t interest you. While Riku is our mutual interest, Haruka is not. Don’t stick your nose into his life, especially now’ Ryo caught himself almost growling back at Tenn. He noticed Kujo’s surprised gaze.

‘...I’m just worried about him. Judging by your response, you are as well.’

‘Your point?’

Tenn took a deep breath, words slowly leaving his mouth.

***

_/Please, take care of Isumi Haruka for me./_

Kujo telling him the obvious, who does he think he is? He was Haruka’s manager, he had to take care of him.

Though ‘had’ had recently formed into ‘wished’. Perhaps this had been what his teacher meant that day, when she was teaching him how to read kanji before she got fired for upsetting the little brat that he was. Of course, he had lied to his parents about this. He just didn’t want her to be around.

He took care of ZOOL because they wished for him to take over the manager role. No matter how much he struggled to understand their reasons at first, it all became clear with time.

He also wished to take care of them. Starting from wishing to make idols that would destabilize idol industry to ‘wishing for them to continue existing’. He didn’t plan to have ZOOL for more than 3 years, he was supposed to disband them due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’ after that time. Now, he would like ZOOL to survive more than 3 years, but at this point, he was afraid ZOOL won’t even survive until that moment.

Once he came back home from hospital, he noticed that his bedroom’s door was open. Haruka must have left the room. Quick check of the fridge confirmed that the food from yesterday was gone.

_Good_ , Ryo thought. _He won’t be hungry._

A strange feeling entered his mind. It almost felt like Haruka was a stray cat that he just brought in from the street, refusing to interact or feed when the owner was at home. Well, that wasn’t far away from truth, Haruka was a person that Ryo reached his hand to and made him an idol.

Sitting in front of his laptop with a cup of coffee, he had to prepare himself to bullshit his way through tons of angry email and send the standard “We are sorry for the caused inconvenience” template at least 15 times, all prepared nicely with the most sophisticated keigo that he could find.

There was truly a lot of those, even from people that he used to know during his president days - actually, those kind of emails were the worst. Recalling those fake, polite faces when he was passing next to them and now reading the words that held so much behind their meaning was giving him another kind of headache. 

He truly had a wish now, only one wish in this very moment - to forget about everything and everyone. 

Few days later Ryo visited Takanashi office for first time in person. All correspondence, requests etc. were handled by the people responsible for it in the company. Even their last job was handled only by a phone call with little birdie Takanashi, but he came to the main office for another reason.

‘That’s all I wanted to say, Tsukumo-san. We are actually very serious about this issue, but the last word will belong to Iori-kun. If he decides to proceed with the charges, unfortunately we as an agency will stand behind him. Do you understand it?’

‘I do. I will be sure to support him in that case, even if I don’t have a desire to get anywhere close to the court or the police again’ Ryo’s voice was completely emotionless, just like his face. 

For Otoharu, it wasn’t something new, yet still surprising.

‘Is there anything else you want to tell me, Takanashi-san? If not, then I will take my leave. There is still a lot of things I have to take care about.’

‘In regards of Iori-kun and Inumaru-kun’s case, that’s all… However, let me ask one thing about someone else.’

‘That is?’

‘I do know that case is not the only thing that happened. I have heard of Isumi-kun’s situation. How is he doing?’ 

Ryo showed no change in his expression. He just kept staring at Otoharu in silence.

‘...I don’t know what is inside his head now. He is doing okay. Though, we don’t talk too much. He refuses to speak with anyone for now.’

‘That’s understable. Losing a family is not something light. Unfortunately, I do know something about it, but that’s not a detail that I will share with you.’

‘There is no need to do that, Takanashi-san. But since you asked a question, I actually have one too. No, actually it’s a request.’

‘That is?’

Ryo takes a while to form the words, obvious hesitation showing up. Otoharu knows that Tsukumo’s aren’t the family that likes to show being vulnerable to anyone. He clearly knows their ways, he knows their tactics. 

But this Tsukumo has a genuine concern on his face, the one that he never saw. 

‘Takanashi-san… tell me how to help a grieving person.’

***

‘Miinamii. Don’t ignore me.’

A voice inside his head doesn’t stop. No matter how much he tried to think that his Cafe Au Lait is the most interesting thing in the entire world, that voice kept disturbing his own thoughts. The man looked at the place in front of him, seeing the usual smile on the face of Sakura Haruki. His eyes were slightly closed, but when he opened them, there was no lights in his irises.

‘You ordered a coffee only for yourself. My heart is shattered you know.’

‘...’

‘But that’s fine. It’s not like it matters anyway, right? After all, I’m gone. Many people are suddenly disappearing from your life. How sad.’

Minami slid his hand across his face, trying to brush off the bangs out of his way, which doesn’t help at all because they were in a complete mess. His eyes looked so tired, even more than Haruki’s.

‘Everyone disappears and it’s not something you can help. Zero disappeared, Takamasa hated me, probably. You and Nagi left me. I was all alone in this.’

‘Stop it’ The man finally whispered. Haruki laughed, but no one could hear him.

‘You won’t change anything, no matter how you love them. That’s just how life is. You won’t have the time to look behind you once everything is over. All your beloved will be gone in the-’

A fist collided with the table, causing the teacup and plate on it make a sound. Suddenly all of cafe chatter died out for few seconds before resuming again, the waiter approaching the table hesitantly.

‘Sir, is everything- Ah, N-Natsume Minami-san…?’ She covers her mouth and looks around. Once she looked into his eyes, the rest of the sentence died on her lips.

‘...I am fine, please do not worry. I am just a little bit tired’ Minami put the most forced and tired smile onto his face, seeing how woman’s face displayed nothing but concern. It’s not her job to ask more though, so she left with a light bow, saying that if he needed anything else, then she would be around. He took a sip from the cup, noticing how the place in front of him was now empty. There was no one beside him since the very beginning.

Lack of proper sleep and the amount of worry that had fallen onto Minami’s shoulders was only making things worse. Not to mention, it was affecting his inspiration as well, the words were all over the place and his thoughts in complete disarray. 

_‘Am I stupid’_ Minami thought _‘Who in a situation like this would think of composing or creating. I am unable to see anything in front of me besides my own demons.’_

It would be much easier if Minami’s own demon didn’t have the face of Sakura Haruki.

***

Torao felt like it’s been ages since he visited his actual home. Midou residence didn’t change a lot in those last few months, the staff that he knew greeted him, but somehow he had noticed a strange uneasiness in the air.

‘Your father is awaiting you, Torao-sama.’

‘I know. He sent me a message asking to come. Something is up?’ Torao inquired but he did not receive an answer immediately. A bad feeling creeped behind his back.

‘There is a matter that your father wants to discuss with you. I do not know details, unfortunately. However, what I can tell you is…’

‘...?’

‘Your father is very displeased, Torao-sama.’

Being left in front of big door, Torao pushed them and entered the dimly lit office. The rain outside was still pouring strong and dark clouds were giving a general gloom vibe. His father was standing by the window and looking outside until Torao cleared his throat and focused his attention on himself.

‘I’m home. You wanted to see me, dad.’

‘Yes, I wanted to see you. It’s been a long time since you appeared at home…’ He slowly began to approach Torao, putting his hands on his cheeks. ‘Everyone have been worried about you. Me, your mother, your brothers and even servants. You don’t visit us at all.’

That tone made Torao’s heart clench. There was an obvious worry in his father’s eyes. Looking at his face, he noticed that there were probably more wrinkles on his forehead than he recalled, especially when he squinted his eyes a bit as if inspecting Torao’s features.

‘I’m… sorry. A lot has happened since beginning of this year and Black or White.’

‘Yes… I know that a lot has happened’ The man let go of Torao’s face and motioned with his hand to sit down. A light knock to the door was heard, a maid bringing in something to drink. Warm tea was something Torao definitely needed right now, still having slight chills from the weather outside.

‘So, what’s the reason you called me here for today?’ Torao asked and put the cup down after taking few sips.

‘Torao, you should know the reason why I called you today. I already mentioned that we are worried about you. We don’t even know what is happening with you and by looking at you, I think my suspicions are getting confirmed.’

Torao raised his brows.

‘That is?’

‘The sole reason why you are so quiet since very beginning of the year… you left that production label, right? Tsukumo was the name.’

‘I... yeah. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell-’

‘Torao. How do you think it feels when I learn about what my son is doing from people around than from his own mouth? Do you think I am happy with it?’

It was probably the first time Torao actually saw his father using the same kind of threatening voice on him like he did on his oldest brother. He wasn’t used to it, after all he always saw only his father’s gentle smile and voice filled with endless adoration of the youngest son. He could say the same about his eyes but-

His eyes were different.

‘...Dad, please listen-’

‘No, Torao. I wish you could listen to me now, because this definitely got out of hand already’ The man fixed his glasses ‘You had left Tsukumo Productions back in January and since that time you completely disappeared from our lives. All you did was sometimes call me or your mother, exchange text messages or send some pictures. But none of that was satisfying.’

‘What are you-?’

‘Let me ask you straightforward, son. Are you in trouble?’

Torao went completely quiet, not expecting such question at all. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts, form an answer that would ensure his father that everything is alright, he isn’t in trouble and-

Form a perfectly convenient lie.

Nothing was alright for the last few days and ZOOL indeed was in trouble. Even if only one of their members got problems, it was something that concerned all of them. Torao felt especially powerless once he noticed that he was the only one who didn’t have any problem behind, yet couldn’t do anything.

‘You aren’t answering. So it means you are, son. You are in trouble.’

The man lowered his head and sighed deeply.

‘My son… my youngest, beloved son is in trouble. Do you intend to share it with me or keep it as secret just like your entire life for the last few months?’

Torao bit his lip. What was he getting so nervous about? His father asked him a legit question and he suddenly felt as if he was interrogated by the police with a lamp light hitting his eyes. Looking at his father’s neutral expression, he finally spoke.

‘Dad… there was a lot of stuff going. Past few days were especially awful.’

‘Is that so… tell me about them. I wish to hear the truth from your lips, Torao.’

Taking a deep breath, words slowly began to flow out of Torao’s mouth.

‘My… friend’s last remaining family member died. I did meet that person before they died so I felt very sad as well. But that’s not all. My another…’ Here, Torao had to swallow. His father wasn’t probably ready for that conversation. While his friends and manager were more accepting about his relationship with another man, he wasn’t sure if his father would actually be happy for him. ‘...friend. My another friend faced a loss last year. Someone very dear to him died and I saw… I saw them on their deathbed.’

Small gasp left out Torao father’s mouth.

‘...Continue.’

‘It was a very unfortunate time. Few days earlier, we learned that person that… my friend loves had an awful accident and resulted in them being at hospital. Because of that though… my friend got very angry and-’

‘And?’

‘...There were some unpleasant events later on. Because of that, everything pretty much screwed up. I feel powerless not being able to help them.’

His father nodded while listening to the story, yet somehow Torao had a feeling that the man wasn’t really listening to his words but rather looking at his face.

‘Because of that, you refused to tell me where are you and what’s happening to you?’

‘It’s not that! I just…’

‘Torao. I love you, like father should love his son and I want to... I want you to be happy. You know that I will always want the best for you, but right now you look like your own shadow. How should I feel when you tell me that you have been unhappy?’

‘Dad-’

‘Did you consider my own feelings, Torao?!’ The man used his hand to hit the table, causing the tableware to jump slightly ‘Look at yourself, my son! For months, I have no idea what is happening to you, besides seeing your face in TV programs, hearing your voice in radio, seeing posters for your performances, but what is that for when I don’t know anything that’s happening to you! Where did you go? Where are you living right now? What are those people full of grief? Why do you look like this? Tell me when I ask you!’

What was that feeling Torao suddenly felt? A boy that only knew gentle side of his father’s nature now got exposed to the strict master that the maids and his older brother was talking about. 

It made him shudder.

‘I… I…’

‘Why… why are you quiet? Torao, I beg you! I don’t know anything about you anymore. Was life with us so bad you had to run away suddenly?’ His father gestured at the office ‘Was all of this not enough for you? Tell me!

‘It wasn’t!’ Torao finally voiced his thoughts, his father letting his mouth hang surprised.

‘W...What..?’

‘Dad. That’s right. I didn’t contact you or mother and I apologize for it. It was… It was my fault. I will give you an answer why all of this is happening. It’s more simple than you think.’

‘...And that is?’

‘I was busy chasing my dreams.’

It seemed that answer didn’t satisfy his father because he took off his glasses, put his palm up to his forehead and shook his head.

‘Chasing your dreams… Chasing your dreams, Torao. This is your answer?’

‘Yes.’

The man put his glasses back onto his nose and stared blankly at his son. It wasn’t a good sign.

‘You may be an adult already, but you are still a child inside, Torao. A silly, little child who is also the cutest son of mine.’

‘...’

‘Does chasing your dreams revolve around being a walking enigma for months? Does it really require you to keep so many secrets away from us, when you could just stay here and reach for anything you want? Why did you need to do this?’

Torao shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, noticing that his father took out his phone and began to tap it, finally putting it onto table and sliding it towards him. Just from one look, Torao’s face became pale. He recognized those numbers.

‘That’s… that’s my bank statement. Why do you…?’

‘That’s not important, son. I’m rather concerned about money disappearing from your bank account and transaction list being highly suspicious. While you are chasing for your dream with your band members and person in charge, shouldn’t they be the ones covering the costs? Why does it have to be you?’

‘I… I did it because I wanted to! That’s actually not your business-’

‘It is my business, Torao. This is my money to begin with. You said that recently you’ve got problems with your friends and now the money is strangely disappearing from your bank account… not to mention, you don’t look like your old self. You already confirmed to me that you are in trouble.’

‘So… you called me here to tell me that? With all respect, I don’t need that kind of lecture.’

‘I won’t lecture you. I will just give you one advice so you can think it over.’

As he suspected, it wasn’t a kind advice from loving father to his beloved son. It was more of a grim reminder that not even Torao is immune to any possible trouble. A grim reminder that this world isn’t easy for people who are full of dreams and ideals.

‘Give up on chasing your dreams, Torao. I don’t want to see you struggling anymore, not when I made sure that you can have anything and anyone. I don’t want to retort to the method of Ousaka-san and disown you for disobedience.’

That was the last straw for him.

Next thing Torao recalled was him standing outside the building as the black car that he used to arrive with left quietly. The phone in his hand displayed only one message.

_‘Unfortunately, until you give me your answer I need to make sure you understand that the world is not an easy place, my son.’_

Torao closed the text message and few others, his finger hovering over his bank app. Once he clicked and logged in, he had noticed that almost all of his money resources from his savings account was gone. His fingers clenched on the phone.

‘...Shit!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torao and Minami drama unfolded! Minami is still not over the fact that Haruki is dead and Torao for the first time in his life has actual family problems. I wanted to poke on their weaknesses too and make them a part of overall plot.
> 
> Also, since I received shitton of questions about Riku's situation and his accident, I will state the fact - Riku tried to commit suicide and it wasn't an accident. Once Touma learned that Iori took part in pushing Riku over the limit, he just threw his fists at him in anger. We know that he is prone to that, look Northmare arc. 
> 
> Soon, we will reach the climax part of the AU, please look forward to it and thank you for crying once more!


	12. Parasite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You look like you belong there."

Tsukumo changed the radio station playing in the background, hoping to stop the endless flow of news regarding rainfall and floods all over Japan. Being trapped inside the car felt even more overwhelming than ever, the man knowing that he and Haruka probably won’t move from that place for a while. The traffic was horrible and people kept honking at each other as if they wanted to channel their frustration through it.

Haruka on the other hand sat quietly next to Ryo, his knees brought to his chest as he stared at the rain falling onto front window and wipers trying to make the sight a bit more clear. He hadn’t said a word since they left the government building, the papers packed inside the file that was thrown onto the backseat.

From today on, Haruka was officially living at Ryo’s flat in Ginza. Since he was already an adult, Haruka could decide what to do with the house that was left to him after the unfortunate death of his grandma. There was nothing that really kept him tied up to that house anymore and there was no point in keeping a place like this.

The man knew as well that Haruka wouldn’t be able to live in that house all alone, so an offer was made to him, which Haruka accepted with a single nod of his head. After taking care of all documentation, singing here and there, Ryo’s flat became Haruka’s place to live. His grandma’s house would soon be put on sell, if not then the developers would be sure to deconstruct it and build a brand new one-family house on that spot.

As much as Ryo knew Haruka didn’t want to visit that place again, they had to return so he could pack up the rest of the things from his room and other stuff that bore any significance to him.

‘Haruka… I know you don’t want to come back there. We will make this quick, alright?’

No response, not that he expected any. It was frustrating but he felt as if he was unable to get angry at such thing. He used to make a fuss over smallest of things and now someone could plainly ignore him - he wouldn’t pay mind. He didn’t understand how such change was possible.

Finally, the cars began to move after what felt like forever. They managed to drive forward and soon took the route straight to Haruka’s grandma house. 

The last thing they wanted to see was big amount of water almost flooding the street and people outside helping each other to stop it from flowing into their households. When they reached their destination, they noticed that the water level was much higher here. Obviously, it was a lower part of the district, a river closeby already overflowing and taking everything on its way.

‘...I don’t think it’s a good idea to go. This house already is-’ Ryo’s speech got disturbed with Haruka putting his shoes on and opening the door, leaving the car, not paying attention that his shoes and trousers are going to be wet. The man cursed internally, turning the car off and quickly following after him. Haruka didn’t even take the umbrella with him nor did he pay attention to the weather outside, walking under the rain. With small amount of effort, he had opened the gate and entered the front yard.

‘Haruk- Wait!’ Tsukumo called out to him, though it proved to be useless. It wasn’t easy to move, encountering various things on his way, not only wet grass. He felt like an idiot holding that umbrella over his head after all his clothes are already wet and shoes were full of mud. When he finally reached the front door, it had been already opened by Haruka. The man entered the building and dropped the umbrella onto the ground, quickly closing the door as if it was supposed to help even if only a bit. 

A familiar feeling overlapped him, just like that night. An awful deja vu. Looking at his feet, he decided to not make an obvious remark about state of his clothes. Not that he should pay attention to it. 

Today, the light was working perfectly fine.

Everything smelled like old wood and humidity. The floor was mostly wet close to the entrance, yet it seemed that the water didn’t get anywhere yet. Taking a quick look at the hall, Ryo noticed Haruka standing at the end of corridor where-

He approached Haruka quickly, standing in front of him and placing his hands on his shoulder. The boy didn’t look at him, his head lowered instead.

‘...Haruka. Let’s go to your room, okay? I haven’t got a chance to see it in the end, unlike ZOOL.’

He nodded and turned right, approaching the door that was nearby. Tsukumo followed him after taking a one look back into the kitchen. The room was dimly lit, but there was an obvious dark stain at the very center of it. 

_ Of course. _

Shaking his head, Ryo went inside Haruka’s room and looked around.

Haruka sat down on a bed, as if waiting for his manager to inspect the room. He was free to look around.

There was a single bed, small closet and a desk with various things on it, dinosaur stickers on the surface and a photograph on the top. Nothing extraordinary but enough for a teenager to live. Ryo however couldn’t say it would satisfy him, he never lived in conditions like those.

Approaching the desk, he took a closer look at the photo. It depicted much younger Haruka and his grandma, both of them smiling and hugging each other. 

_ It was truly all Haruka had, _ Ryo thought and gave him a side look. Seeing his expression or rather lack of it, his fingers clenched on the photo frame. Words of a certain man echoed in his head once he looked back at the photo.

***

‘I won’t give Tenn to you, unfortunately. But I do have another defective product that may help you’ Kujo Takamasa took a sip from his tea cup. Ryo was sitting in front of him with usual fox like smile splattered on his face.

‘Oh fantastic. I like broken toys! I can fix them just like I want, replace their arms with their legs and vice versa! It’s always fun when you try to put shapes that don’t fit into certain place, so you shove them until the frame breaks and let it stay like this!’ He clapped with his hands, Takamasa’s expression not changing. Instead, he pulled out a file from his folder and handed it to Ryo, who was more than eager to accept it. A quick look at the details on it brought a certain spark into his eyes.

‘You took care of a church boy? Was he any good? I’d rather not have a religious freak under my care, you know. Those are the worst and I’d rather stay around organized crime than sects.’

‘Do not worry. Haruka is a good boy. He has certain abilities that only good idols possess and his performance is outstanding. He’s got attention of few teachers that I hired for him in America and he is certain to bring you the success you need.’

‘Oh praise, praise! But if he’s so good, why did you break him and threw him away? Does age make people stupid?’ Ryo said shamelessly while scanning the document. Ah, he recognized few of those places where Haruka was studying. He once again sent a glance to Kujo.

‘He may be good in standards of typical idol with his singing and performance abilities but he doesn’t possess what Tenn has. He was almost a finished product but due to miscalculation on my side, he turned out to be not to my like and unfortunately I had to get rid of him. That’s why, you can take him.’

Ryo hummed to himself, dropping the files onto tabletop.

‘Fine with me. I will take your broken boy and teach him a lesson or two. However, I can’t deny that perhaps he may mention you MAAAANY times. Are you alright with him using your photo as a target, while I give him darts? It may be a funny sight to see!’

_ Ah, he is no fun, that old prick. _ Ryo thought as he noticed that there was still no change in Kujo’s expression. He didn’t like when people were not responding to his obvious taunts.

‘I do know you will use me as a reason why he should stand on the stage again. Hate gives birth to many things, Ryo. Hate can be used as a catalyst for much greater things and as something that keeps people go. You are familiar with that feeling too well, as far as I know. After all, the sole reason why you try to make your way through this is because you hate.’

Tsukumo gave him a quiet laugh and waved his hand dismissively.

‘Sharp as usual, Kujo. That’s true, hate is something that can power up masses. I mean, how fun it is to finally overthrow person you hate and watch how they struggle, beg for mercy to ultimately get smashed by the hammer that says ‘Justice’? A wonderful feeling that is! Ahaha! Hey, do you have someone you hate? Just don’t say me, I will get sad~.’

‘I do. I do have person I hate.’

‘Mmm mm? Who is this? Your ex?’  _ If you ever had any, _ Ryo made a snarky comment internally.

The answer he got back made Ryo open his eyes wider. However, he should expect it. Kujo Takamasa’s personal vendetta had to be powered up by something, right?

‘I hate Zero. He betrayed me.’

‘...Is that so…’ Ryo uses his finger to make circles around his teacup and then looked as dark brown drink inside it.

_ You are not the only one who hates Zero, old man. Too bad though, you are the sole reason Zero exists in the first place. That’s why I hate you too. But I will take that defect product of yours and mold him into something else that will destroy not only the idols but also you. _

Ryo looked back at Haruka’s photo in his profile and smiled to himself mischievously. That boy will do. He will tell him what he wants to hear, use him to fulfill his own agenda and then throw away, just like Kujo. He is unable to get attached to people after all!

He will never be.

***

Haruka on the photo and Haruka who sat on the bed next to him felt like two different people. He was so desperate to get any help for his grandma before, even trying to secure a deal with Kujo Takamasa who only ended up using him and then throwing away like a rag. It was Ryo’s plan to pick him up, make him all pretty and use previously acquired abilities to twist the show business up to his ways. ZOOL was never supposed to last more than 3 years, he even planned to disband it earlier that one time when they got into argument.

Ryo put down the photograph and sat next to the boy in silence.

If he ever learned about that deal Kujo and Tsukumo had before ZOOL was even formed, Haruka would probably end up hating him. It shouldn’t bother him so much and yet it did. It was so frustrating when he recalled his own self that used to not care about anything and anyone and now? He said he will never get attached to people like that boy! 

But if Haruka or ZOOL ended up hating him again, Ryo had no idea what he would do. Just as Haruka had only his grandma before he met them, now Ryo had only…

Had only them.

‘Ryo-san…’ Ryo turned his head to him.

‘Yes?’

‘...Your shoes got wet. I’m... I’m sorry. You will get sick.’

_ Was that all he cared about now! _

‘Don’t worry, I won’t! I generally rarely get sick. I’m more afraid that we brought a lot of mud in when we entered and dirtied the floor and carpets.’

‘It… won’t be a problem. Not our problem anymore’ Haruka whispered and slid away from the bed, standing up and approaching the closet. He took a sports bag out of it and opened it.

‘Will you help me to pack up…? There should be another bag somewhere.’

The man nodded and quickly left the room in search for another bag while Haruka was packing up his clothes or things that he thought would be necessary.

_ It’s not like he will return here again. _

Ryo on the other hand could inspect the rest of the house alone. Starting from the room nearby, it was a small bedroom with single futon rolled up and placed in the corner. Tatami mat was pretty used in that one place, so Tsukumo guessed it must've been the place where Haruka’s grandma used to sleep. There wasn’t much to see besides one closet so he approached it and gently opened it.

A typical smell of naphthalene hit Ryo’s nostrils - it seemed older people were still using it. There was no bag in there, just a bunch of clothes like shirts, trousers and dresses. He even found a small jewelry box but it was mostly empty. No bag in sight, so he closed the door and left the room. Next stop was-

The kitchen. Ryo had a good view on the dark stain in the center of this small space. His eyes scanned the area around, noticing details like kitchen sink being filled with some plates, paint pieces peeling off the cupboards and very old oven that probably remembered better times. Carefully avoiding stepping on that place, Tsukumo entered the kitchen, looking through the shelves out of pure curiosity but he didn’t find anything interesting - very old cutlery, plates with nice decorations and small portable stove that could be used for a hotpot.

That gave Ryo a gloom reminder that he was supposed to come here together with ZOOL for a dinner that this lady was going to cook for them. Haruka was bragging about his grandma’s cooking a lot and Tsukumo really wanted to see if the popular saying that ‘grandma’s meals are the best’ was real - after all, his grandmother had never cooked anything for them. He didn’t even remember her face at this point. Opening one of the cupboards almost resulted in a pot falling onto Ryo’s head so he closed it quickly, despite having already made a lot of noise. He looked back, checking if Haruka noticed something but there was no response. Sighing with relief, he once again avoided the stain and left the kitchen, going to check the rest of the house. There was no point in visiting bathroom, so he went into the last room.

Living room was a little big bigger than the rest of them. Taking a step into it, he felt tatami mat under him make a strange, splashing noise. There was a puddle of water raising each time he pressed heel of his shoe into it. Something began to drop onto his head, so his gaze went up. Water was dripping out of ceiling.

_ Didn’t Haruka say that roof was fixed…!? Why is it leaking?  _

Wiping his face and brushing his hair out of his forehead, he stepped into the room and began to inspect everything he found on his way. Shelves, cabinets filled with nothing but tea cups and probably never used dinnerware, books and old newspapers. He didn’t even feel that much cold anymore because he was moving around. Feeling water drip onto his head again, he cursed internally but once he looked at the ceiling, deep sigh left his mouth.

_ Just because they fixed one hole it doesn’t mean new ones wouldn’t appear. Well… It won’t need fixing anymore. _

He probably checked every corner of this place but there was no bag in here as well. At this point, he was almost sure there was no other bag and Haruka just told him to go and look around the house while he would stay inside the room.

Sometimes, he wished he could be less perceptive and wrong in many things, but once he approached Haruka’s room again, he could hear quiet sobs.  _ Goddamit. _

He recalled Otoharu’s words from that day, who told him to let Haruka cry as much as he wants, even if it can give him an uncomfortable clench inside his chest. Keeping his feelings inside wouldn’t help and he should never look down at a crying person, especially if they went through personal tragedy. Haruka had to say goodbye to this place for real and he needed time to come up with his own feelings. That’s why...

All Tsukumo could do was to stand outside the room, close his eyes and listen to the dull sounds of rain mixed with Haruka’s voice.

  
  


***

‘Hey, did you hear? About ZOOL…’

Momo’s brow twitched. Once again, he could overhear someone talk about ZOOL which surely wasn’t a coincidence. He and Yuki were done with their recording for today, almost ready to go home when Momo put a finger up to his lips and motioned his head to Yuki to hide behind the wall.

‘...Yes, I heard. That producer was soo pissed off. They pretty much ruined the schedule for the program by cancelling out of sudden. But you know, Natsumi-san told me what exactly happened and I feel bad for taking that jerk’s side. How could he!’

‘What happened then? I don’t know much…’

Two women lowered their voices so neither of them could hear. Momo cursed under his nose and looked at Yuki, who wore a sad expression on his face.

‘It’s about those kids again. I don’t understand what’s going on, but recently no matter where I go, I heard people talk about them and their lack of responsibility.’

‘Yuki…’

‘Momo. I will ask an obvious question but do you think it’s that man’s fault?’

Momo shook his head, taking Yuki’s hand into his own and leading him back to their backstage room. Once he made sure they were alone, he returned to Yuki’s side and sat down on the couch.

‘I spoke with Takanashi papa recently. I was worried about this whole thing with Riku-kun and we still don’t know the reason for the accident. We probably won’t get to know it. But he said something else about Ryo-san, who came to visit him.’

‘Tsukumo did visit Takanashi papa? What for?’ Yuki raised his brow suspiciously.

‘No idea. It was something related to business talk apparently so I don’t know the details. Instead, Takanashi papa told me something else. You know, that I trust you with my life, right Yuki?’

‘I do. Spill what you know.’ Momo shifted on the couch, laying his head down on Yuki’s shoulder.

‘Ryo-san… asked him about how to help a grieving person. Judging from what I was told, he looked as if the air completely left his body.’

Yuki’s expression didn’t waver. Instead, he clenched his hand on Momo’s, his thumb making circles on it.

‘You know, Haruka-kun’s grandma passed away recently. Ryo-san actually cancelled all of ZOOL’s appearances and performances because of that, angering producers and the people in charge of shows.’

‘Somehow… I can’t believe that he would take their feelings into consideration. He tried to get rid of you after all. It doesn’t feel like him at all.’

‘I know. I feel like Ryo-san that I used to know for many years is suddenly gone. I cannot recognize that person. I already thought it was strange that he took care of ZOOL even when he didn’t really have a personal interest in it but… I don’t know. Ryo-san… became a huge enigma for me. I can’t read him anymore.’

Mass of conflicted feelings filled both of their chests. They were speaking about the same Tsukumo Ryo who was once a savior, an enemy and supposed murderer. Yuki never held any particular feelings besides hate towards that man, but Momo was another case. As much as he did try to make himself hate Ryo (hell, he still recalled that day when he tried to kill him! He would really fall down from that balcony and meet his end if Yuki didn’t appear on time), but it was more complicated than he thought.

It wasn’t that he actually felt any sympathy towards him anymore. Their ways parted, Momo intended to throw Ryo into prison for all crimes that he had done.

But at the same time, he couldn’t deny that without Ryo supporting Re:Vale long way back, he and Yuki would never reach their current level. It was like a double edged sword, being Ryo’s friend and enemy at the same time.

‘Momo. I… I will be perfectly honest with you’ Yuki suddenly spoke out, Momo looking at him.

‘I’m listening, love.’

‘We are already over that talk about forgiving him for what he had done. I hold no compassion towards him as a person and I never will. But if he actually cares about them as people, not just idols, then…’

Yuki’s fingers intertwined with Momo’s. 

‘I have no right to say anything against him or ridicule him any longer. ZOOL trusts him enough to follow him into fire and it doesn’t feel like they did this while being pressured. It was their own will.’

‘Yuki…’

‘If… I see someone bad mouthing those kids again, I will be sure to show my support. By them, I also mean that man. Even if I hold more than a grudge against him, he is a part of them, just like Okarin is ours.’

‘... Thank you’ Momo spoke after a short pause ‘Though, it’s so surreal to hear you say that you may support Ryo-san. You are the last person I would consider doing that.’

‘I don’t believe myself either, trust me. We have no choice though, but let me ask you one thing, Momo.’

‘What is it?’

‘Are you going to see him? Tsukumo, I mean.’

Momo’s expression changed few times as he thought of possible answer. Yuki already knew what it would be, but he’d rather hear it from Momo’s lips.

‘Perhaps not now. However, it won’t hurt to send him a text message.’

‘Won’t that open old wounds though? Are you sure about it?’ 

Momo’s hand reached towards Yuki’s cheek and brushed hair out of the way, planting a small, chaste kiss on it.

‘I appreciate your concern, Yuki but remember that Momo-chan is a big boy already. I will do alright and know my limits… and you know?’

Momo smiled sadly.

‘Wounded animal protecting their territory can be more deadly than anything else. I won’t expose myself to such apparent danger. Once his injury heals, I will approach Ryo-san and talk with him… or at least try. For the sake of a better future.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES AS PROBABLY MANY OF YOU GUESSED, it is based on Bong Joon-ho's movie Parasite. Haruka probably feels like one, because he is literally leechin on Ryo now - he feels so powerless after all. Also, Re;Vale is slowly starting to notice something is off! Momo perhaps needs to question his own motives again...
> 
> Thank you for reading, please look forward to the next chapters!


	13. Asphyxia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Older men with cigarettes can be hot. But not when they smoke 4 packs in row to cope with the world.

‘Where is Ryo-san?’ Touma asked after he, Minami and Torao entered Tsukumo’s flat and began to leave their belongings around. It’s been a while since they visited this place. Haruka was sitting on the couch and staring into TV, his gaze unfocused. The boy probably didn’t even know what’s going on in that colorful commercial. 

‘...On the balcony. He’s smoking’ Haruka said quietly, not even turning his gaze to see his bandmates’ surprised faces. They looked at each other confused.

‘Ryo-san is smoking? Since when?’

The boy shrugged as an answer. Torao sighed deeply and told them that he will go and speak with their manager, while motioning his head towards Haruka. Touma went to the kitchen counter and began to unpack food that they bought on their way while Minami sat next to Haruka and put his hand onto his back, rubbing it gently. He almost immediately cuddled up towards the blonde, his arms embracing Minami’s chest.

Torao on the other hand opened the door to Ryo’s room and he saw him. Ryo was standing on the balcony, looking deep into the distance, surrounded by almost invisible white smoke. When he slid the balcony door open, Ryo turned his head towards him, his expression softening a bit as he quickly smashed the cigarette into the ashtray and put it to the side. Torao noticed a package of well known brand of them and raised his brow.

‘You came to visit?’

‘We did. I had no idea you like feeding the cancer, Ryo-san. You didn’t strike me up as someone who smokes in the first place.’

‘Because I don’t smoke in general. Just recently I…’ He put his hands into his pockets to warm them up a bit ‘I heard it has a quite nice calming effect. It works.’

‘But you will destroy your health like this, idiot. Though, I would gladly have one as well, considering the situation-’ Torao snatched the package, already taking one of them but Ryo slapped his hand, the cigarette falling onto the floor and rolling down until it fell.

‘Idols don’t smoke. I am not an idol, so I can.’

It takes a while for Torao to react, trying to come up with anything funny about the situation but-

His face started losing its colors quickly and Tsukumo was not blind to not notice it.

‘...Torao. What’s going on?’

‘...You said idols don’t smoke but… perhaps I…’ Torao leaned against balcony rails and lowered his head. Trying to collect his thoughts, Ryo stood up next to him, waiting for his answer.

‘Ryo-san… what would you do if I told you that I’m quitting ZOOL?’

The man didn’t respond to him, Torao waited and waited until he looked at him with frustration in his eyes but-

As soon as he saw Ryo’s face, it disappeared. There was no anger, no sadness, no fear. Expression on Ryo’s face was empty, just as his look.

‘...Will you be happy with that decision?’

Torao took a step back, shaking his head.

‘W...What...? Aren’t you angry? Why do you look like you are ready to accept it?’ 

‘...Torao-’

‘Ryo-san, what happened to you?!’ Just when he said that, his father’s words echoed in his head, cold shiver going down his spine. He felt absolutely awful ‘I’m sorry, I…There is so much I want to talk about.’

‘It’s fine. I will… listen’ Ryo sat down on the chair that he had brought from the living room, his hands playing with the lighter. Torao’s hand slid the cigarette package closer to Ryo.

‘You can… smoke you know. I will come back inside and leave the door open.’

‘Fine with me… go. Tell me what’s on your mind, Tiger.’

With the rain outside, smoke filling the air and a heartfelt atmosphere, Torao sat down, leaning against half open balcony door and told his manager about the situation with his father, concerns about Minami, the whole thing with Touma and Iori from his perspective and other things that were on his mind. Ryo was listening to him, never disturbing or stopping him in the middle. Finally, when Torao went quiet, Ryo stepped inside the room and closed the door behind himself. Sitting down on the bed, he looked straight into Torao’s face.

‘So… you really want to stop chasing your dream with ZOOL?’

‘I… no. I don’t want it’ Torao said, shifting his position a bit. He got a bit cold because of the air from outside, but it was alright. He was more concerned about the lack of emotion on his manager’s face ‘I don’t want to return to the same state of things as before. When we met that night, you told me that-’

‘I told you many things, I admit. It was mostly to… enable you. Make you work for me and make sure that you will dance just like I play for you.’

‘You didn’t lie to me, though. You helped me, Ryo-san.’

‘...Perhaps I did. But in current situation, I don’t think that going against your family wish is something you should do.’

Torao almost couldn’t believe words that he just heard. Especially not from person that spoke about his family like he did.

‘R...Ryo-san, what are you…!’

‘Torao. I do know how it feels to stand against your family. I did that as well as you remember. I was full of ideas how to piss them off and show them why they should never ridicule me but… see?'

Ryo put a hand to his own chest.

'This is what I ended up with. I don't want any of you to go through the same thing. Even if you show your family that you are capable of doing things on your own, in the end it will-'

'I don't care.'

'Huh?'

'Ryo-san. You try to give me an advice and I appreciate it but I don't care about what my family thinks is the best for me, because they are wrong. Remember what you said that night? 'Living an easy life is boring'. It is. It truly is, Ryo-san. I don't want an easy and convenient life, that's not why I am here now!'

Torao's hand hit the carpet with a dull thud.

'I know what do you mean. I really do. But if you are so considerate of us, then please consider my feelings too. I don't mind if we struggle. Hell, I don't mind if we end up being ridiculed and thrown away like Trigger did! I just want to stay with you. All of you. That includes you as well, Ryo-san.'

'...Truly... a heroic speech, Torao'

'Are you making fun of my feelings now, asshole!'

Ryo shook his head, Torao seeing a bitter smile forming on his face.

'You and I are really alike, you know? When I was at your age, I've had this much of a resolve too. It kept me going.'

'...Don’t say it like its a past thing. We are still living. Everyone needs your help… Haruka needs it the most, Ryo-san. We will come up with some backup plan, I know it.'

Torao stood up and stretched his back.

'We brought dinner. I assume you didn't eat much recently so come to the living room and eat with us.'

Once he left, Ryo just kept sitting on the bed, looking blankly into distance behind the window. Torao on the other hand waited behind the door, hoping that Ryo would follow him right up but-

'...That idiot…!'

Recalling that look on Ryo's face gave him an uneasy feeling. He never expected to see such face of man that he was simply afraid of. Now, he was quiet. Vulnerable.

_Simply weak._

It wasn't Tsukumo Ryo that he used to know but at this point, when he looked at all of them… were those truly the faces of people that once stood against the world?

'...' Torao directed his steps towards the living room in silence, still hoping that the manager would follow. Mundane effort. Ryo stayed in that room, his head deep in his own thoughts.

_/Torao… I used to make a lot of plans you know. Plan A, plan B, plan C… back-up plan in case if things went into route B instead of C… but you know?/_

The man lowered his head, just flopping onto bed.

'Even if you make plans, life doesn't work that way.'

The talk with Torao brought even more anxiety into his chest. A lot of new thoughts and feelings began to creep into his head and as much as he tried to fight them, it didn’t help.

'....'

Sudden buzzing of the phone on his nightstand finally prompted him to move and see who is bothering him again.

Seeing familiar combination of numbers on the caller’s tab made him clench his hand on the device. The message was simple, yet it brought so many unnecessary feelings to Tsukumo’s chest.

_/Ryo-san. It’s Momo. I want to speak with you, wherever you are free. I will await for your response./_

God knows how long he was staring at that message, his finger reaching towards the ‘Delete tab’. Once the screen displayed _/Deleted/_ , he dropped the phone onto the bed and covered his head with a pillow.

He’s truly had enough for today. Maybe forever.

_Give up, Tsukumo._

Torao came back to the rest of them, his face looking gloom. Haruka was dozing off in Minami’s arms, his hands combing through his hair while Touma was cleaning up the kitchen. Despite all four of them being together again, it was so quiet… 

‘Tora, what’s with him?’ Touma asked quietly from the kitchen. There wasn’t much to do here but it was something that could make him focus on something else than the awful reality.

‘It’s… not good, Touma. Ryo-san doesn’t feel like Ryo-san. I don’t know anymore.’

Minami exchanged sad looks with Torao, quickly returning to Haruka. TV in front of them had one of their commercials, some shots from their winner single being shown along with their commentary.

_‘We don’t plan on stopping midway our goal!’_

Yet, somehow all of them had had enough at this point.

‘...Maybe, we should stop…’

***

The day had passed quietly and peacefully. After making some dinner for Ryo and Haruka, Touma said that he will return back home and leave Haruka up to Torao and Minami. They spent whole evening watching a movie on the couch, while Haruka slept on Minami’s lap.

Ryo didn’t leave his room since his talk with Torao. It’s been few hours since he opened his laptop, checking up various reports, doing some calculations and answering emails. He tried to not think about Momo’s message, the talk with Torao, Touma’s case and Haruka - falling into the pit of work was a good way to not think of those events, but once he was done with his calculations, he found out something was wrong.

Again, he was counting the money.

Again.

_Again._

  
  
  


Realization hit him, creating a new, serious problem to add up to the pile. A new situation that he, the heir of Tsukumo family could never experience. Yet, his calculator, bank account and list of all fees and payments that he had done was 101% correct.

‘...Why…’

Ryo never asked Torao specifically to lend them money, it was just his good will. Renting venues, performance halls etc. required a lot of cash, which they never lacked. When he was still a president, the cash was the least of his concerns - after all, he was the one who brought Tsukumo from the verge of bankruptcy in the first place. However, in that situation Torao’s help would be greatly appreciated, but-

If what Torao told him was correct, it wasn’t possible to use any financing from his side. Neither from the rest of ZOOL.

The numbers told Ryo everything, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. 

‘...We will soon be left without money… completely.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the shortest chapter in the entire AU, but honestly I had no idea how to prolong it. It's just silence before climax chapter.
> 
> I want to say that I'm almost done with writing AU as a whole! I have only few chapters left (written in advance) and I will try to post all of them before Torao's birthday.
> 
> Also, did you see Torao's WO? It's so lovely, HE IS SO LOVELY! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	14. London bridge is falling down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those grapes are rotten to the core, but you will still eat them.

The sky was a deep red color, which Ryo would love to admire if he wasn’t standing on the edge of a bridge. He had no idea how he found himself there but he did recognize that place, hidden deep in his memories. 

It was the same bridge that he was standing on when he met Chloe. There were no people around him, no drunk college friends that prompted him to ‘seal the deal’ they spoke about before while slurping their Guiness beers one by one.

No one but Ryo knew that he was quite eager to jump from that bridge that time. He wasn’t even drunk to begin with - he pretended to be drunk because he thought it was funny to act like those people. It was such a stupid idea to begin with, all because they read an article about ‘Flying man falling into the canal La Manche.’ They started taking bets, who would be mad enough to actually see if they are gonna become a second flying man and not fall into Thames. Ryo volunteered to try, saying that he won’t fall down! Those idiots really believed him. If Chloe didn’t catch him and pull him back, he would have tasted that sewer Thames river was.

So, once again he stood on the same bridge, looking down into the dark pitfall without water inside it. He had no idea how deep it was or if it actually had end. Looking behind didn’t help him much - there was nothing but a broken road, pieces of concrete and upside down road signs. A bizarre sight, one would say. There was no other way out, as Ryo could see other bridges were broken or burned. All of the other routes were simply not available, the only thing that could be done was jumping into darkness, with 100% guarantee that he would either die or keep falling for all eternity. 

‘...So is this the only way…’ He said, a strange melody soon reaching his ears. He knew it, it was a really common song.

_ London Bridge is falling down _

_ Falling down, falling down _

_ London Bridge is falling down _

_ My fair lady- _

Ah, it was that song. He should have known, after all he was standing on the London Bridge. Taking a step further, he saw few pieces of concrete fall down into the endless pit, not making a sound or anything. 

‘... What a stupid ending for someone like me…’

With no better alternative for this situation, Ryo took another step and let himself fall into darkness, breaking through the wind as he kept falling and falling….

Just like said London Bridge.

The only thing that he managed to hit was his pillow, when he suddenly shifted in his sleep and woke up, sweat covering all of his being. He sat up, looking around and checking his surroundings - which were exactly as he left them. He was inside his room, work papers scattered around and the clock next to him showing 3:34 am. 

After dropping his head back onto the pillow he laughed bitterly at himself, recalling that dream of his.

'You really burned down all bridges behind yourself… didn't you, Tsukumo?'

***

'I'm very glad to see you again, guys. Though, where is Haruka-kun?' The female producer looked around, noticing that one of ZOOL members was missing. Everyone exchanged glances, wearing gentle but empty smiles on their faces.

'Isumi-san is still on his break. There are few things that he has to take care of, so once he is done, he will join us. We can proceed with work as previously scheduled, producer Kasane.'

Sometimes Torao was really glad that Minami's voice has such a calming effect on the people around them. No wonder they wanted to give him a job as seiyuu for that bird documentary. Apparently this job didn't get cancelled and he was going to try to do his best.

Yet, Torao couldn't deny that Minami's voice had been devoid of emotions recently, all of them were drained because of everything that had happened so far. Minami though became generally indifferent and Torao couldn't do anything about it. They even stopped getting intimate with each other as neither of them felt like it was something that could help.

'Ah, right. Did you hear anything from Idolish7? Mezzo is still active but it seems something is going on with their center…' The producer whispered to them but all she got was Touma shaking his head.

'Unfortunately, we don't know. I’m sorry. Let's stick to the work, please' He said, sounding almost robotic, so producer nodded and told them to get ready but obviously left with a confused expression. Torao tried to put his hand onto Touma’s shoulder but it got slapped away.

'Tou-'

'I'm fine. We have work to do right? Ryo-san said that we need money or we may end up in even deeper shit.'

Touma didn’t sound like his usual self. Every time someone had brought I7 center topic he had that expression that basically asked everyone to shut up. Only a handful of people knew what exactly happened with Riku, the internet however had a completely different approach. It was full of rumors, misinformation and even pictures of Riku at the hospital that were somehow taken by curious reporters. Touma couldn't stand it, seeing how everything suddenly became overwhelming. Riku himself told him that once they got back into contact on rabbichat.

Due to what Takanashi called 'incident countermeasures', Touma wasn't allowed to see Riku in person, the boy himself being under suicide watch.

_ It's driving me crazy, Touma-san _ \- he told him in one of their chats.

_ It feels like I am forever to be kept behind the glass, tied up to that bed or to people that want to control every aspect of my life _ .

It wasn't the only thing that made Touma furious. Riku stopped believing anyone at this point. Touma knew it also involved him, he attacked Iori after all. His sunshine got covered with deep, dark clouds that had been overlapping Japan for many weeks already. With Riku and ZOOL changing he had no power to keep going anymore. Their usual person responsible for motivation and reason perhaps lost all of it inside the endless rainfall.

‘When we were so happy about possibility of returning to the top again, Riku was suffering and all he said was ‘I didn’t want to get in the way of your happiness.’ He is such an idiot… such an idiot that I have let down so much.’

The problems were only multiplying and now their manager told them about the incoming financial issues. 

'Unfortunately, all 3 of you have to work. If we won't get any income, situation may become rough.'

'You said 3… what about me?' Haruka said quietly. Ryo shook his head.

'You are staying on hiatus, Haruka. Don't try to argue with me. It is an order from your manager' Ryo said dryly. Haruka just lowered his head in silent agreement. No one really tried to argue, they had no strength to do it, especially when Ryo was right. 

All of them returned to sleeping in one flat as they thought it would be better for Haruka to have someone close to him. They made sure to have at least one person stay with him all the time, even if it sometimes ended up with Haruka waking someone up at night because he was crying in his sleep. Minami on the other hand started to sleep better again (or more like force himself to sleep, pills turned out to be a great help), nightmares not bothering him as much as before. It’s been a while since he saw Haruki’s face and for the first time in his life he wished to not see him again. This time he wanted his beloved to disappear for good. 

Then, there was Ryo who decided that it would be a good idea to let them bond a bit more with each other in those trying times. He had no idea that stepping back from their lives and hiding behind the door of his room had actually a completely opposite effect on his ZOOL. 

They began to worry about him even more, seeing him only when he occasionally left his room to eat, drink, go to the bathroom and drive them around, though even this turned out to be always a very silent ride where no one said anything. They weren’t allowed to disturb him during work as he became very distant out of sudden. None of them knew how to approach that man again, the Ryo-san that they used to know slowly fading into nothingness.

For Haruka, it was a start of another paranoia. He still hadn’t recovered from the image of his dead grandma on the kitchen floor and now, possibility of Ryo meeting the same end from overworking himself for their sake made him sick in the stomach. He was so afraid, but reaching a hand towards him, opening that door and stepping into his room felt like an impossible mission to complete. It was a paradox, the fear was both prompting him to go and paralyzing him at the same time.

Their manager felt the same. Not being able to provide the best for his boys gave him a severe sense of disappointment. He had to do it, he told himself. He had to make sure to not let them experience more pain. They were all he had at this point. There was no one in his life but them. ZOOL was his everything and he couldn’t allow them to fail. His mind told him that it was the only course of action that should be taken. Make ZOOL happy. Make them happy.

Happy…

  
  


_ Happy- _

  
  


***

‘Haruka-kun, what’s wrong with you! You spaced out again. Do you want another break?’ The producer of the show asked, visibly irritated. Haruka quickly bowed and apologized.

‘No need! Please allow me another take.’

‘...Fine. But pay attention this time!’

Few weeks had passed. All 4 of ZOOL returned to their respective work, slowly making up for the lost time, but they couldn’t deny they lacked their usual ‘energy’ or something that made their fans think ‘Ah yes, this is what ZOOL is.’ Of course, it became a topic in social media and newspapers related to the music industry. Opinions varied, many rumors being spread along with misinformation, which meant even more work for Ryo to make sure that their reputation won’t suffer. He even stopped counting how many cigarettes he was smoking per day, his day basically beginning with this and black coffee on the balcony. 

No matter how much he tried to fight with those rumors, sometimes people that ZOOL had to work with were talking behind their backs about the general condition of the band. With Idolish being on hiatus due to accident that happened not so long time ago, Trigger going strangely quiet and Re:Vale trying to not show up that much, the general opinion about idols began to change. How funny, one would think. Wasn’t it what Ryo had wanted in the first place? People were looking down at the idols that didn’t respect others, made fake promises that they never fulfilled and kept hiding their true intention behind masks that they created for this circus?

Too bad, Ryo was late. So much late it was the last thing he wished for now.

Working his ass off for ZOOL’s sake barely let him see them besides their casual rides and sometimes going to the kitchen, fetching something to eat when he was already seeing black dots in front of his eyes but not exchanging many words with them. He also refused to look at himself in the mirror, knowing that he probably didn’t look good but sometimes when he saw them laugh about something, he was able to convince himself that his work was paying off. Money also stopped being a problem as their income became stable again, yet they couldn’t afford any big performance for now. The man even forgot when was their last serious performance. Was there any besides POP Shock Festival? He didn’t want ZOOL to perform at smaller venues, making sure their concerts would be a big event but now… they probably couldn’t afford even a small venue. It felt almost robotic to do all the calculations, prognosises and fill their schedules with lessons and jobs, though they didn’t get any joint jobs with other idol groups. It was fine, he thought. ZOOL wasn’t struggling that much and he made sure with his own hands that they wouldn’t face major downfall again.

_ Until that one, fateful night. _

***

It was one of those rare nights in which Ryo left his room to go to a business meeting. The person that he met was one of his ‘older friends’ from the industry and they were talking about some potential contracts for ZOOL, but judging from the flow of the conversation he wasn’t sure about the result. 

‘Is everything alright with you, Tsukumo-san? You look really tired’ The man asked, blowing smoke out of his mouth ‘I was kinda surprised to hear that you smoke as well. I remember you used to complain about me doing that.’

‘Times change, so do people. I don’t mind a good cigarette, don’t worry.’

He only saw the man in front of him smile mischievously and drop the topic, but Ryo began feeling uncomfortable. If so many people were saying that he looked tired, it meant his work paid off… right?

He stopped the car and sighed deeply. He was so goddamn sleepy but once he comes back there was another thing that he had to do. So much to do. 

_ Why things can’t just do itself? _

He asks himself, soon feeling his phone vibrate. A text message from one of very famous show producers that he was waiting for so eagerly came in, so he opened it quickly, his eyes scanning the contents of it--

And then literally throwing his phone onto the seat next to him in absolute anger.

‘The hell…. the hell…!’

Ryo put his hands on his head and shook it, letting out an angry noise that quickly escalated into a yell.

The message was about refusal of their offer for the show, not due to the lack of funds or trust. It was about ZOOL’s overall ‘weak’ performance in last months and ‘unfortunate rumors that reached his ears in regards of their behaviour’, saying that he’d rather not risk a fiasco of his program because they don’t seem to be doing well. However, the last sentence was something that hit Ryo the most.

_ ‘If they won’t improve, I am not sure if we can promise any future cooperation.’ _

His fists hit the car wheel few times, biting his lip so hard it began to bleed.

‘How dare you… how dare you to say such thing about my ZOOL…!’ He spit out ‘THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN! WHY NO ONE FUCKING UNDERSTANDS IT!’ Looking at the phone that fell down from the seat onto the car floor made him angrier ‘THEY ARE GOOD IDOLS! I CHOOSE THEM AFTER ALL! YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING ABOUT THEM! YOU IGNORANT BITCH!’ His hands hit the steering wheel again and again ‘I DO EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL! I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF AND I WILL DO ANYTHING-’

_ Anything…? _

But he had done everything he could. All those weeks he had been working so hard, barely sleeping and eating to ensure that ZOOL wouldn’t encounter any problems on their way. This refusal shouldn’t have taken place… It shouldn’t, because he is Tsukumo Ryo. He is…

Ryo leaned his back against the driver’s seat and looked into the car ceiling, realization coming to him, hitting him and ultimately crashing his so called confidence and pride.

He was  _ only human. _

There was no power in his hands, no contacts that he could take advantage of, no bridges with alternative ways that he could take. A black hole that appeared in his dream was exactly what his state of mind was. A situation with no way out. 

‘....’ His arms dropped to his sides, a strange, numb feeling entering his body. The way he neglected himself and his health really began to flash out in this very moment. It was so deadly silent in this parking lot, dim lights slowly blending with darkness inside the car. One, single thought appeared in Ryo’s head, summing up everything that happened so far.

‘This is… my limit. I can’t do this anymore…’

***

A familiar table appeared in front of him with a plate placed on top of it. There was no fork or spoon but they wouldn’t be necessary because there was no food. It was brand new, as if taken out of the package and set in front of Ryo just to look at. When he looked around, he noticed something very strange.

His apartment looked exactly like it did before ZOOL had moved in. The blinds were down, the couch was on its right place and the table stood exactly where it was before. The kitchen was completely empty and dim lights everywhere once again gave a strange, gloomy aura that Ryo used to like. He wanted to stand up but noticed that his legs refused to move. He couldn’t change the position either, feeling really uncomfortable. What was that for?

‘You woke up, sleepyhead… or should I say, coma princess?’ The voice that he heard belonged to no one else but himself. When he looked at the person in front of him, there he was - his own reflection. Ryo in front of him was wearing the usual, dark violet suit with pinstripes and a fox like smile. He was holding a silver fork and knife in his hands, the plate in front of him having that kind of meal you would only find in expensive restaurants.

He suddenly felt really hungry, but there was no way for him to reach for someone’s plate… even if it was his own.

‘Heey-- Answer me! How does it feel to be the loser of the century, hm?’ “Ryo” spoke to him ‘Look at yourself. You are a complete wreck, you know? Maybe you should see a beautician? Wait, they won’t help you, maybe a therapist will help you instead, because you probably need it!’ He began to cut the meat into smaller pieces, then taking one of it and putting into his mouth, licking his lips. “Ryo” noticed how his other self was staring at the meat pieces and took one of them, showing it in front of his face ‘You want this? Too bad, meat like this isn’t for you. Trash like you don’t deserve to eat kobe beef. You can’t even afford something like this. Remember when you used to eat variety of meats? Now, I think all that gets your taste buds aroused is a meal heated up in the microwave at conbini!’

His mirror reflection laughed, putting more pieces of meat in his mouth. His stomach obviously signaled that he would also like to eat that meal in front of him, but he was unable to move. Asking for food wasn’t something high on his list.

‘Aa-aa. So sad, you know?’ “Ryo” wiped his mouth with a tissue that he dropped later on the floor ‘Idols once again made a fool out of you. You believed in their words and see? Not only you got fired, called a criminal, an outcast and a weirdo but now they play you like an instrument and make you do all the job until you literally spit your insides out. Are they even grateful? You don’t know and you won’t ask!’

‘...I’m...’ Ryo’s lips moved slowly, his mirror self focusing all attention on him.

‘Can’t speak louder? Repeat.’

‘I’m... guilty’ He admitted quietly while looking at the person in front of him. There was a mix of emotions on his face until he began to cackle, laugh so loud it was literally echoing through the whole room and hurting Ryo’s ears.

‘AHAH...AHAHA… Oh my god! Can you hear him?! HE’S GUILTY!’ He hit the table few times while laughing, finally laying his head down on top of it and looking into his eyes ‘We both know you are guilty. You have always been guilty but what’s with you admitting it out of sudden? Did your cute boys make your heart sooo soft, like the finest of pillows? How sad… you turned into an absolute weakling! A fragile bitch!’ “Ryo” yelled and stood up, his hand grabbing the edge of the table and moving it out of the way. He approached his another self and bent in front of him, grabbing his chin.

‘...’

‘What happened to Tsukumo Ryo filled with pride and confidence? What happened to you, who thought that he could move mountains if he only said few words? It’s gone. You are a goner, Tsukumo! All you need to do is literally to finish what that kid couldn’t!’

‘SHUT UP!’ Ryo spit out, making the other one let out a pleased hum.

‘Hooh. You finally raised your voice. Good. But that won’t help you. No matter how much you scream, yell or tap your foot like a child, it won’t change anything! You don’t get it, because you gave up!’ Ryo’s back got pressed to the chair when his other self ended up sitting on his lap, being a BIT too close, his breath almost tickling his skin. He closed his eyes, which proved to be a mistake, once familiar voice reached his ears.

‘You burned all the bridges and have no other way out, Ryo-san. Isn’t that sad? I understand that though!’ When he opened his eyes, he saw Riku’s bright red irises staring at him ‘I also gave up on living, this is why I tried to kill myself! Too bad it didn’t work. I ended up at hospital and Touma-san beat Iori up sooo badly… I wish I could see it.’

‘R...Riku-’

‘I WISH I COULD FUCKING DIE YOU KNOW! Why everyone always tells me how to live?’ Riku’s hands grabbed his face painfully ‘I do selfish things because I want to be selfish! I told you that once, right? That’s why I wanted to die. I wanted to end this and finally find a way out. But no! No one allows me to die. They even used such a cute name as ‘an accident’ for my attempt and brushed it off as if nothing happened to the rest. Funny, right? I am not allowed to die even if I am a walking corpse already! It’s not a life, it’s hell!’ 

Ryo shook his head, grabbing Riku’s hands.

‘That’s… That’s not what you want’ Saying that only made Riku give him indifferent expression.

‘...See? Even you tell me that my feelings are fake. But that’s alright.. we both live behind fake feelings, right?’

Once Ryo blinked again, it was Momo who was sitting on his lap now. He was smiling to him like usual.

‘Feelings are so nice~ They can make your chest warm, they can make your chest hurt. It’s such a double edged sword and we are so stupid that we always end up getting hurt! Isn’t that right, Ryo-san?’ 

Ryo released Momo’s hands in shock, the man quickly embracing him and pressing his chest up to his. Despite two bodies colliding with each other, it didn’t feel warm at all. It was cold. So cold.

‘Me and your family betrayed your feelings often, but perhaps you deserved it? After all, you were just an unfortunate child that shouldn’t have been born in the first place. Your brother should be the only one. I was an idiot that I went to you instead of him and asked for help. But how nice you were!’ 

The man was already shaking. Momo was so close, yet it felt as if he was about to get eaten by the abyss. 

‘You gave me money and helped me out because you were interested in idols. Buut-- you didn’t expect to actually fall in love with me, hm? I wonder how did you look like when you finally understood that I stole your heart, Ryo-san! I would love to see that…’ Momo whispered to his ear and bit it playfully, making Ryo shudder ‘I would actually love to see you break down like this… I want to see you at your most vulnerable point, making faces that no one but me can see… Maybe I will give you a time of your life before you decide to leave this world-’ He had no idea how, but he managed to push Momo off and see his surprised expression.

‘...Oo! I see. I see how it is. You are once again being fake. Haha! That’s fine. I was being fake too. I would need to be stupid to get into your pants, Ryo-san. Yuki is the only one I love but I had to tease you a bit~’ He jumped off Ryo and put his hands onto his hips ‘You can’t deny your feelings towards me though! You can push me off to the depths of your mind and I will still linger there, like a parasite.’

‘...Stop…’

‘Hmm~! Momo-chan can’t hear. Louder, Ryo-san!’

‘Please stop…!’

Momo clasped his hands and laughed.

‘Ooh, this is interesting! Ryo-san is begging. You are really an entertaining guy, no wonder ZOOL likes to play with you. But you know, they will get bored or fed up with you. They already did! Torao even said he thinks of quitting.’

‘It’s not… he’s not quitting, shut up!’ Ryo tried to stand up but he couldn’t move. The stupid chair didn’t even budge.

‘You think what he said is truth? Are you dumb? He said that just because he saw your resigned face! He didn’t want to make you sad, but he definitely considers it. Good for him. I never understood why ZOOL followed you. They should do better, those kids. I’m sure they will, once you disappear from their life, Ryo-san. You are a bother.’

It was the last straw for him. His head already hurt but now it was unbearable. He just hid his face into his hands, begging for him to stop. Momo only giggled and once again bent in front of Ryo, holding his shoulders.

‘It’s alright, Ryo-san. I will be so nice to you and guarantee you that wish. Hold tight…’

A whisper.

‘Wouldn’t that be unfortunate if you fell down from your balcony on this fine moonlit night…? Who knows, maybe you will fly, because you are better than the ‘Flying Man’. Haha…’

A strong push made Ryo flinch, feeling how he was about to fall. Suddenly, the floor under him disappeared and Momo’s silhouette became smaller and smaller. He instinctively reached his hand towards him but it was useless.

‘Good bye, Ryo-san! See you never again!’

A single yell broke out of his throat, soon disappearing into darkness. Perhaps it was his last stop, now going downhill.

Then, _ he woke up. _

***

The door to the flat opened with silent steps coming in. He didn’t even turn on the lights, Ryo just straight up opened the door to the living room and saw the usual sight - ZOOL sleeping on the couch. Torao was resting on his back, his head probably in a bit uncomfortable position. Touma was spooning Haruka and holding him close.

Minami on the other hand was sitting in front of the kitchen table, standing up as soon as he noticed Ryo coming in.

‘Ryo-san, thank god… where have you been? You didn’t answer to any of our messages and I-’

‘It’s fine’ Ryo responded, ignoring that Minami approached him and passing next to him ‘I am going to sleep.’

‘Ryo-san, wait!’ The blonde managed to grab his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Ryo didn’t turn around to him, just waited.

‘...’

‘...If you aren’t going to say anything, don’t bother, Minami. Let me go.’

‘I refuse. Talk to me, Ryo-san. I heard from Midou-san about-’

‘I don’t care, let me go!’ He tried to brush him off, but Minami refused to let him go. At some point of their small fight the blonde stepped in front of Ryo, blocking his way to the corridor. Then, his arms dropped after he saw his manager’s face, dimly lit by the kitchen lights.

‘...Ryo-san… Did you cry?’

The manager sighed deeply and clenched his fists.

‘...Perhaps. I do… have feelings too you know. Please. I.. I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough for today. Let me pass, Minami.’

Minami stepped back and lowered his head, allowing Ryo to pass to his bedroom. He came back to the table and literally flopped onto the seat.

It was a new face of Ryo that Minami saw and he was 100% sure that he doesn’t want to see it again. As much as previously he would enjoy making Ryo sad, now even a thought like this made his heart hurt. This person… it wasn’t their Ryo-san.

‘How ironic it is, Ryo-san… you did make us. You tried to destroy us. You revived us… ZOOL exists because of you and yet…’ Minami hid his face into his hands ‘We are the ones who are slowly causing your downfall into despair.’

Touma shifted in his sleep when he felt grip on his arms getting stronger. He didn’t wake up, just continued to snore quietly. Haruka wished that he could do the same - instead, he felt tears swelling up in his eyes again. Of course, he heard the whole thing, he became a light sleeper because of recent events, so he heard Minami and Ryo fighting. He heard all of it.

He regretted hearing all of it, now that his own heart is about to get shattered into pieces again.

_ /I…. I want Ryo-san to be happy. I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to lose everyone ever again…!/ _

A single sob broke out of his mouth, so he quickly hid his face into pillow.

This night was probably one of the longest night in lives of Ryo and ZOOL… and probably the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MANAGER AU CLIMAX IS HERE! Finally, Ryo hit the rock bottom. He isn't immune to stress and depression, especially when he had it rough since very beginning. How will he manage to stand up after this, I wonder? Please look forward to the next update!
> 
> I'm almost done with writing manager au, so I will be sure to post all chapters right before Torao's birthday. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	15. Prover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was truly unfortunate, one could think but they would surely get surprised at sight of man's face.
> 
> Despite everything, he was smiling."

‘I understand. Thank you for your call, Satori-san. Yeah… Goodbye’ Ryo hung up on the call and stopped in his tracks, sighing deeply. This call wasn’t something he could call a ‘successful’ business agreement, but at least conditions weren’t half bad. They could be better if he actually managed to persuade that woman but he didn’t feel like it.

When he turned his head to the left side, he noticed that he walked away quite a long distance. He was so much into this call he didn’t even notice his legs brought him here, to the place known once as the altar of the idol who began the boom - Zero. Even though Zero Arena had been recently renovated it still looked so dull in the rainfall that still kept haunting Japan. Water levels were crossed at most of points and it was generally advised to avoid any waterbanks or places with possibility of flooding. It seemed that wasn’t a problem for Tsukumo, because he kept walking in that rain like an idiot, but at this point he just couldn’t stay at home.

  
  


When looking at Zero Arena, he wondered how much it would take for ZOOL to perform here. Even with his general dislike for Zero (which was a big, fat lie. He didn’t hate Zero. He was just disappointed), he’d wish for them to have a huge scale performance on this holy grounds. It wasn’t even the biggest venue in the Japan, but for many idol groups it was a symbol of prestige and status to be able to perform here. Maybe one day they will make it, he thought and lowered his head.

Would he still be here to witness that, he wondered. Time was not on his side and his own consciousness was slowly deteriorating, making him feel non existent. It’s been probably few days since he actually managed to exchange anything but looks with his idols and it gave him an uncomfortable clench in his chest. He noticed that he started to miss them. He missed those boys, despite living behind the wall in the same flat. Due to work he pretty much isolated himself from them because he felt… that he shouldn’t get in their way. His role was to support them quietly from behind, push them to do things and make sure that everything works fine-

Even if recently things began to turn into dust in front of his eyes. He still had that dream in his mind, fear and anxiety creeping on the back of his head. Ryo almost couldn’t recognize himself at this point. What did he become? What will happen to him? 

He put work above everything, hoping to improve ZOOL’s overall situation but it slowly began to overwhelm him. Reaching his limit and understanding that this is all he can do was painful enough for him to almost step back or even stop and refuse to move. Thoughts of leaving ZOOL in someone else’s care had been in his mind for a while, but wouldn’t that basically show others that he isn’t capable of keeping them intact? If he suddenly turned to his brother again, he would kick him out. Other managers? After Touma got into fight with Iori and news about Riku’s failed suicide attempt, he thought Takanashi Office wasn’t a good place for them. Neither were Yaotome or Okazaki. He didn’t want to give his boys to some newbies or people that he didn’t know, but at this point there was no one who could take this role. He will be the one to decide ZOOL’s future, it had always been like this.

But he couldn’t… do it anymore. If he was going to be just a convenient tool for them that secures jobs, pays rent and does everything while they don’t notice his efforts, isn’t that exactly what it was before? He couldn’t get even angry at them, there was no reason.

His heart was torn and his heart belonged with ZOOL. They were the ones that moved it and they were the ones that would ultimately kill him. 

‘...’

Looking at that place reminded him how he once went to that Zero concert. Despite not being interested in idols that time, he decided it was a good way to kill some time. Zero didn't look at him but could he really say who Zero was looking at if his face was behind the mask? 

He laughed bitterly to himself. His childish self was so dumb, even his adult self was dumb enough. Spoiled rotten and not knowing of consequences of his actions - it was Tsukumo Ryo that ZOOL met and decided to stand with. Now, he was a completely different person, but it didn’t feel that good. Why should it feel good if he was so lost in his own feelings?

How much he wished that someone could just come here and tell him what to do!!

'You've been standing here for a while. Are you okay, sir?' A gentle voice made Ryo look in its direction. A man with hood on his head was standing next to him, not really bothered by the rain that was falling onto him. He was holding umbrella in his hand so Ryo gave him a questioning look.

'I could say the same about you. Why won't you open the umbrella?'

'Ah this? It broke. The wind was blowing too strong and it became useless. I was just walking home because my bus didn't come either.'

_What's with that dude?_

'Taxi?'

'I don't have cash with me. I left my wallet at home.'

'You can pay with pho-'

'My phone died anyway. I am on my own. Perhaps if I still had some battery, I could order Uber but…'

'... Japan doesn't have Uber.'

'Yes, exactly. That's why I am standing in front of you with my clothes being soaked and shoes literally overflowing with water.'

It was truly unfortunate, one could think but they would surely get surprised at sight of man's face.

Despite everything, he was _smiling._

'...' Ryo shifted his umbrella a bit so rain would stop falling onto this eccentric stranger. His smile didn't fade.

'Thank you! Though it won't help me that much. I am almost guaranteed to come back home and have 38°C of fever.'

'Why do you sound so happy about it? Look at yourself!' Ryo said, his tone maybe a bit too angry 'It's not a reason to be happy about! You are smiling like a fool despite being in such pitiful situation!'

Ryo looked almost offended at his lack of response but the man still kept smiling gently to him. He tilted his head to the side.

'I already had my dose of sadness in my life. I don't need to add another one to the pile. Standing here in the rain is not something I would call the end of the world but you think I am unreasonable, right?'

Ah, _this word_. How many times did Ryo hear it before?

'That's…'

'It can't be an accident for us to meet in such place' The man said and pointed at Zero arena 'This place is special to me and I know it attracts various emotions. Same with the people.'

'... You are an eccentric person.'

'I could say the same about person who left their house during downpour and kept staring at a concert venue in complete silence.'

_Damn, he is good at this._ Ryo sighed resigned.

'... I don't even know why I came here in the first place. My legs brought me here, that’s all.'

'I understand that. When you have too much on your mind, you end up wandering somewhere, as long as it’s far away from your actual problems. Though, it becomes unfortunate when you decide to wander like this and… never come back.'

'What… do you mean?'

'When you leave your home, thinking that no one will miss you or remember you, it becomes so painful to process. But you know what is the most painful?'

Ryo shook his head.

'When you believe in such thing and it turns out to be wrong. You live hours, days or even years in denial of your feelings and when you finally understand that it was wrong all along, it's too late. You burned all bridges, lost all your connections and dug up your grave. It's the end.'

This stranger managed to hit all of Ryo’s weak points in barely few sentences. Who was the person hiding under the hood?

'I actually decided to not run away and face my demons after many years of isolation. Unfortunately, I had no idea how big mess I left behind and how it affected others. I had no idea if people were still hating me or did they actually miss me. But I think it wasn't the worst that was about to come.'

'...What… is going to happen?'

'I had to experience results of my faults… with my most beloved people suffering. I was the one who caused them so much hurt and life gave me a lesson that if I still intend to run away, then I will regret it.'

'If I had to be honest... I am in very similar situation. I'm…'

Ryo took a deep breath. Was he really going to talk with stranger he just met about his own problems? 

_The answer is yes._

'I'm about to run away from my problems. Just like you say, I think those who surround me hate me. I did burn a lot of bridges behind me and made many bad decisions but…'

'Keep going.'

'... If I disappear, those boys that I take care of… they won't survive. I do so much for them and I want to make sure they will be happy but…! I will miss them if I decide to stop walking.'

'And they will miss you. I'm sure your feelings are mutual. You work hard for their well being, right? I think that's beautiful that you have someone to take care of. I also had people like those but.. haha.'

A bitter laugh left the stranger’s mouth.

'At this point, I don't think I will be able to reach them anytime soon. Some relationships cannot be restored no matter what.'

'You mean…'

'When death knocks to the door. There is no possibility to speak with that person and knowing that you let them down is the worst.'

Ryo really felt as if he was an open book for this person. It was scary and fascinating at the same time.

'One of people I trusted the most in my life unfortunately is not on this side anymore. I learned about this fact just few weeks ago. I can't even apologize for letting him down, and another person that I…'

The stranger’s voice became hesitant for a bit.

'The person that I perhaps loved… No matter how much I try to reach out to them, it won't erase the fact that my family got hurt because of them. All because I was a coward. It became a chain reaction of unfortunate incidents.'

'...' Tsukumo felt an uncomfortable shiver going down his spine. One of the reasons was the cold outside and second… was because he understood what the man tried to tell him.

Running away from his problems no matter how hard they are will not solve anything. Not contacting ZOOL will not give him the answers he needs. Wasn't it exactly the same thing as it was before, he already thought so.

This time, his and ZOOL's future depended on it. 

'Let me tell you one thing, sir. Don't run away from those that you love. Sometimes, even simple talk can solve many problems, clear misunderstandings or…' A smile appeared on the stranger’s face again 'Ensure you that things are not as you think they are. All you need to do is to be honest with your feelings.’

Many thoughts suddenly appeared in Tsukumo’s head. As if the past year and a half went through his mind, all events where he was part of ZOOL’s life began to flash out, showing him that… he had fun. He liked being with them. Not even only as idols, he liked being with them as people. They got to know him better. Before, there was only Momo who Ryo let into his life like this and now it was 4 of them. If he is going to run away from them, he can’t even imagine how much pain he would cause them, as if they didn’t have enough.

‘...I want to be honest with them. I want to talk with them but…’

‘It’s hard. But I’m sure you can do it.’

‘Why do you say that? You don’t even know who I am’ Ryo said and once again sent a look to hooded figure.

‘I don’t need to know who you are. All I know is that you have someone to take care of and they need you. For me it’s already too late, but for you…’ The stranger laughed quietly ‘You can still make it. Believe in words of the old man who went through the strangest chain of events in his life.’

Ryo’s hand clenched on the umbrella’s handle. Right… He can still try to talk with them. Maybe that man was right. Maybe ZOOL actually doesn’t consider him just a handy tool. Maybe…!

‘...I understand. Thank you, but can I know your-’ Ryo blinked few times, noticing that the stranger literally disappeared out of his sight. He looked around surprised, but hooded figure was gone. Just like a magician, the man turned into fog and was completely gone.

Was that just his imagination at this point or this meeting really happened?

There was really no time for that, Ryo thought. Giving last look at the Zero arena, the man began to walk towards his home, a resolve slowly building in his heart. He couldn’t run away or leave ZOOL behind. This wasn’t what they wanted. This wasn’t what HE wanted. Everything had been overwhelming in the past few weeks and he was about to completely give up under the pressure.

He is truly an idiot, isn’t he? His brain almost managed to convince him that he was the most useless person in the entire world, just because he is only a human.

So what! So what if he is only a human! Running away wouldn’t change anything in that situation. He should have done this much earlier - talking with ZOOL and telling them about his feelings. If they truly didn’t take his feelings into consideration, it was fine. He would somehow make it. However, if they really cared about him…

Then he was a fool for once again disappointing their expectations as humans, not idols.

Ryo disappeared out of sight of the hooded man who hid behind the tree. Water wasn’t falling down on him, but he still felt cold. It wasn’t that bad. 

‘Right… you still have a long way in front of you, stranger. Don’t be like a person that turns into nothingness… don’t be like me.’

***

Stepping into his flat felt almost like a miracle. He was soaked wet from head to toe, his umbrella proving to be useless. Hell, going out in a weather like this would obviously result in that. Ryo took off his shoes and socks and opened the door to the living room. His eyes quickly caught the sight of Haruka, who turned his head to him, his expression shocked. Haruka and Ryo kept staring at each other in complete silence until the boy just stood up, approached Ryo and embraced him, not paying attention to his wet clothes. It was almost the same kind of embrace like during his comeback after New Year’s Eve.

‘Haruka…?’

‘You are an idiot, you know…? A big, big idiot!’ Haruka yells at him ‘Where did you go when I was searching for you?’

‘I-’

‘Why do we see you only once or twice per day when you live literally behind the wall? Why do you disappear so suddenly without even telling us?! We are worried about you, goddamit!’

It made Ryo completely shut up, which was alright, because Haruka kept talking.

‘Minami was fighting with you last time and you refused to tell him what happened. Torao still feels guilty because he talked with you about quitting ZOOL and Touma is still down because of the whole thing with Iori… Hell, I have been worried about you since Grandma’s funeral!’ Haruka’s hands clenched on his manager’s shirt ‘You act as if you don’t exist in your own house and it pisses me off! Don’t do that. Don’t act like you are about to disappear, just like Grandma! I… I don’t want it! If you disappear, we don’t even know what we would do!’

‘...I know you are strong idols but-’

‘FUCK IDOLS! FUCK THIS WHOLE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AT THIS POINT!’ Haruka yells out ‘I couldn’t care less about singing and dancing in front of fans when I know people I care about are suffering. All of us are suffering and you suddenly became so distant and don’t let us help you!’

‘Haruka…’

‘You know… Right. At first I wanted all of us exist as a group. ZOOL being the same kind of group you created before. I wanted things to be the same as before but… it couldn’t be like this. Not when I finally got to know all of you. Especially you, Ryo-san’ Haruka looked at Ryo and he could notice that his eyes are a bit red. He shouldn’t think that _/He got used to this view_ /. It was wrong.

‘I’m sad by the fact you never got to meet grandma, but before she died, she told me one thing about all of you. When I finally gathered my thoughts, I recalled it.’

‘What… is that?’

‘That she wants all of you to be my family. As I began to live with all of you, I truly understood what she meant by that. It was always just the two of us and I can’t say that I hated that life. Grandma was always there for me and she supported me as much as she could. However, the life with all 4 of you was completely different.’

Ryo could say the same to Haruka. Living with all 4 of them was completely different. It changed his usually quiet and empty flat into a light, colorful space filled with them talking, laughing or even arguing - it was never boring here.

‘Being with ZOOL felt good. We felt like we could move mountains with our music. I had fun at variety shows. It was fun to collab with other idols. But living with you in this flat made me realize how it feels to have a family. It was a different kind of happiness that idol life would never give me, but all of you managed to do this. I am thankful for that because past year and a half was probably the best time of my life, despite many circumstances…’

Ryo knew that Haruka didn’t want to remind him of their own arguments or things that Ryo did to them in the past in this talk. He just nodded in silence.

‘I felt like… I wasn’t lonely. Despite Torao and rest saying things like ‘Oh Haruka you sure don’t have friends’, I did feel like I had people to support me no matter what. It wasn’t just a fake support like Kujo did, that would end in fiasco. I… don’t want any of you to do that. Support me and then leave as if nothing happened. Neither Minami, Torao or Touma.. or you.’

Haruka’s embrace became a bit tighter. He hid his face into Ryo’s shoulder.

‘...I... lied to you during our meeting after New Year.’

‘Lied..?’

‘I… I was crying after we got told that you will be gone. It just felt wrong for you to not be there with us. Somehow tears came out and I became like this. I’m sorry…’

Haruka probably didn’t expect Ryo’s arms to actually embrace him back, letting out a small gasp. It’s been the first time the man did that.

‘...No. It’s me who should apologize, Haruka.’

‘Ryo-san…?’

‘I agree with you. I’m a biiig idiot who thought that giving you more than I could would make you happy. I thought I was just a person that exists here for ZOOL’s convenience but… prioritising work over you was so stupid of me.’

‘Ryo-san… hah. Right. You are a big idiot. But you know that people don’t live only to work, right? It’s probably our fault for not telling you that before but… we do miss you, Ryo-san. Not as a President of Tsukumo Productions or Manager of ZOOL. We miss you as you. As our stupid, sometimes crazy Ryo-san’ Haruka stopped for a while as if gathering thoughts. He ended up smiling ‘Maybe you can’t see that, but we do love you, Ryo-san. You don’t even know how much. We are just… bad at expressing feelings.’

Prolonged silence made Haruka even more worried, until Ryo shifted a bit and muttered something to him.

‘Can you… keep a secret, Haruka?’

‘Secret? What-’

_Ah._

_He understood._

Despite Ryo’s clothes and hair being wet, different kind of water began to stain his shoulder. Haruka didn’t made a snarky comment on it. He didn’t need to. All he did was smiling gently and giving Tsukumo time to let his feelings out. His heart was about to burst, not being able to keep them inside anymore.

‘I will keep your secret with me, Ryo-san. Don’t worry about it.’

The two of them didn’t notice the rest of ZOOL standing behind the door of the living room, quietly listening to their conversation. Touma was already on the verge of tears, trying to not sniff too loudly. Perhaps all of them were moved in some way. Minami ended up pulling them out of the flat and closing the door quietly.

‘Haru… Haru is too powerful.’

‘No. It’s not Isumi-san being powerful. He was just being honest and… I think this is something that has an amazing firepower against walls that Ryo-san built around himself’ Minami smiled to them ‘For now, let’s leave them alone. After all, they both believed in each other the most and Ryo-san perhaps has a weakness for him.’

‘Let’s go and get something to eat. We can bring them something later and talk with Ryo-san too. I think we owe him the same kind of honest talk.’

‘Right…!’ Touma wiped his face and grinned ‘Nothing is better than a heartfelt talk with food in the background.’

Once they reached the building exit, they noticed something outside.

‘....The rain is…?’

***

‘I’m back…! Waa, it’s so warm here, I’m freezing…’ The man closed the door behind him and took off his hood, revealing damp, a bit faded reddish hair. Taking off his jacket didn’t do much, as he was completely soaked from head to toe. 

Another red haired head loomed out of the living room. Riku opened his mouth wide in shock.

‘Uncle, what happened to you!’ He quickly ran to the bathroom close-by and gave newcomer a towel.

‘Thank you, Riku-kun. Your uncle was a bit of an idiot, walking outside like this. My umbrella broke.’

‘Dad could drive you around! Why you didn’t say anything?’ Riku took his shoes and jacket to place them where it could dry fast. Once he stepped deeper into the house, another gaze reached him, somehow giving him shivers.

‘Re~~i~. You look like a wet dog.’ A woman said, putting her hands on her hips ‘Did you get your thing done at least? Dear god, you will surely be the death of me one day.’

‘With all respect Kasumi-san, I’d rather not be the death of anyone. But judging by the smell, you have something to warm me up’ The man known as Rei wanted to laugh but he ended up sneezing instead.

‘Of course. But you have to change first. I will call you when the dinner is ready. Also, I will prepare some medicine for you just in case’ She touched his forehead with her hand and pouted ‘You are still careless like before, Rei. Take better care of yourself, will you? You, Riku and Tenn worry me so much!’

‘I will try my best. I do like taking care of others more though. Tenn-kun and Riku-kun are important to me.’

‘Mom, I put Uncle Rei’s clothes to-... what are you doing? Is uncle sick?’ Riku’s concerned gaze was truly heart melting.

‘Once I eat Kasumi-san’s soup, I will be healthy in a matter of seconds! Anyway, let me take a shower and change first’ Rei left them alone, so Riku and his mother returned to the living room, noticing how suddenly it got filled with sun rays. The boy quickly approached the window.

‘The rain… it stopped raining, mom!’

‘Finally! I was so afraid this downpour would continue for ages. I don’t even want to watch the news around the nation…’ She kept looking at her son that was literally bathed in the sunlight that broke through clouds. After a while she approached and hugged him, earning a questioning look.

‘Mom… Is something wrong?’

‘No. I just think that you are my little sunshine, that’s all.’

Later, when Rei was looking out from his room on the world outside he smiled to himself once he recalled the man he met today. Perhaps he was also looking at the skies that slowly began to clear out of the clouds.

‘See? After rain there is sun. No matter how bad the situation is… there is always a way to break through the heavy clouds.’

The man knew about it too well. Maybe he was an old, careless idiot that kept getting scolded by his brother’s wife but…

_That old, careless idiot was once a person that a whole concert venue was dedicated to._

***

‘Isumi-san’ Tenn called out to Haruka, making him stop in his tracks.

ZOOL’s job for that day was done and Haruka wanted to go home as quick as possible. The people here were saying many things that Haruka didn’t want to listen to. Meeting Kujo Tenn was the last thing he wanted to happen today if he had to be honest.

‘I’m busy’ He spit, wanting to walk away but Tenn caught his wrist. Normally, he would just brush Tenn off but now he simply couldn’t.

‘...Isumi-san. I want to talk with you’ Tenn’s voice already sounded concerned, breaking through Haruka’s already weak defence even more. 

‘...What? I’m-’

‘I spoke with Tsukumo-san few weeks ago. However, after literally no information or update from his side about your condition, I got… a bit worried.’

_Worried._ Kujo Tenn was worried about him?

'...We are fine. No need to worry about us when you have to worry about Nanase.'

'It's not about Riku. It's about you.'

Haruka wished he had some of his previous bravery left in those useless body cells of his. Giving a look to Tenn, he noticed his both determined and worried gaze. 

'...What did you talk with Ryo-san about? I thought you didn't want to see him again.'

'I gave Tsukumo-san my piece of mind already but I didn't meet with him so I could lecture him. He was just like you.'

'What do you mean?'

'Putting on a fake brave face when his heart was torn apart. Am I right?'

Haruka turned around to face Tenn, thinking about something. A quick inspection of their surroundings confirmed that they were alone in the corridor.

'...Alright. I… have something to tell you.'

'I am listening.'

Breath in, breath out, Haruka. 

'You know… since my grandma died, I felt like I began some chain of awful events. When I was deep into grief, I didn't know that the others were dealing with their own problems. I was unable to help them because I couldn't help myself. I didn't even notice that Ryo-san got affected as well. He was doing so much for us and…'

'I know. I could see that in him when we met at hospital. He came to apologize to Izumi Iori and Takanashi-san for the incident though…'

'Hm?'

'No. It's nothing. What I wanted to say is…' Tenn sighed 'I almost can't believe myself that I say this but Tsukumo-san was really worried about all of you. He still is. Anesagi-san said that she wanted to speak with him but he looked like he was about to drop everything and just leave.'

'N-no…'

'Isumi-san-'

'Kujo I-... I don't want-'

Haruka's face became so pale, panicked stare visible. He shook his head as if wanting to deny what Tenn was saying.

'...' Tenn's hands gently embraced Haruka's, making younger man look at him. Somehow, it began to calm him down.

'Tsukumo-san seems to be in a bad place now. I think I even know the reason but… you will hate me for the comparison.'

'... Say it.'

'Tsukumo-san… seems to be a lot like Kujo-san now. When he lost Zero, he began to wander aimlessly.'

'...' Haruka's hands clenched on Tenn's. He let him continue.

'He did lose everything with his degradation as far as I know, but you came to his aid. I couldn't understand it but now it is clear that he began to care about you. So much that he would fight the entire world so you would be happy. But now, he seems to be powerless to do it.'

'He is.. an idiot. He doesn't even want us to help him!'

'Do you think a person like him would ask someone to help him without feeling ashamed? It is Tsukumo Ryo we speak about.'

'Ah…' 

Tenn was right. Ryo-san despite not being in power anymore was still someone filled with pride. He never truly asked them for help in anything because he always said 'I will be fine!' Or 'Without my help you wouldn't make it!'. Since they left Tsukumo, Ryo was always there for them. Driving then around in their funny car, taking them out for food, going with them to various places and getting into strange accidents, tons of misunderstandings that only managed to bring them even closer…

He was always there for them. It was their Ryo-san - the one they refused to leave after Hoshikage tried to recruit them, the one that they left the production for. That man was there for him when he was on his lowest. He… didn't discard him in the end. But now, the same man needed help and only THEM could provide it. They had to become the people that could support Ryo just like he supports them.

'… thank you.'

'What for?'

'For allowing me to remember that me and rest of ZOOL are huge idiots. I have to talk with Ryo-san and tell him few things. Make sure that he remembers that he is… an important part of us.'

Tenn smiled slightly to him.

'Perhaps one day I will forgive him. But there is still a long way in front of us, Isumi-san. Once I make sure that he is truly capable of being a good person-'

'I know. But… it's Haruka, you know?'

'... yes. Haruka-kun. I won't mind if you do the same.'

'.... Thank you, Tenn.'

They didn't take their hands out of each others grasp. Perhaps, it felt good. 

_It was warm._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA GUESS WHO LITERALLY APPEARED OUT OF THE VOID TO GIVE RYO A LIFE HACK ADVICE!!! GUESS WHOOO!!! 
> 
> "Gee Buro do you need to make everything about Z*roverse"
> 
> Yes.
> 
> Anyway, Ryo-san, don't cry. I know they are happy tears but AAA, WRITING THIS MADE ME CRY TOO!!! Also soft TennHarus... yass.
> 
> We are few days away from Torao's birthday, so expect daily updates from now on until our Tiger's birth celebration!


	16. En Annan Tid, Ett Annan Liv

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember that every IKEA shopping cart should have at least one Blåhaj. No excuses.

‘Momo-san??’ Touma couldn’t believe his own eyes when he saw Momo at their building’s entrance. He was holding something in his hand, using the second one to wave.

‘Yahoo. Touma, let me in, will you? I came to visit and it seems PIN code was changed.’

‘Uh… W-wait, I need to consult this? W-Who did you even come to visit?’ He asked, not really expecting this answer.

‘Certain fox. I’m sure you know him. Tall, pale, a bit sneaky, hates when you play with his toys.’

Touma’s hand clenched on the drug store bag he was holding. Something was not right, everyone would think so. His first thought was to get rid of him, even if he didn’t want to be rude to his senpai. Ryo-san surely wouldn’t appreciate his visit, especially in condition that he was in right now. He decided to speak the truth instead.

‘Ryo-san has a fever, you know. I don’t think you want to see him right now. He is sneezing 5 times in row and looks like a scarecrow.’

‘Sick? He didn’t say that he got sick!’ Momo pulled out a phone out of his pocket and checked the message, squinting his eyes a bit ‘Yeah. Invitation says today. I had no idea he got caught by some virus.’

‘Invitation? Ryo-san actually invited you over?’ Touma blinked surprised, his thoughts suddenly in disarray. Why would RYO-SAN invite MOMO of all people? After what happened between those two, it was weird to hear that any of them would reach their hand to the other ‘Can I… see that message?’

‘Sure. There is nothing more, so you won’t learn any dirty secrets!’ Momo handed his phone to Touma.

‘That wasn’t my intention! A-Anyway…’ 

Checking the message and number clearly confirmed that it was indeed Ryo who sent the message. Touma swallowed inaudibly, suddenly feeling lost. The message was sent to Momo just before he got sick, so it couldn’t be fever induced text, right? Ryo-san really did invite Momo to their flat and Inumaru had no idea what was inside their manager’s head to arrange this.

‘Thank you, Momo-san. Though, I need to confirm it with the rest so-’

‘Don’t worry. If you don’t intend to let me in, just tell me. All of you truly care about him, right?’

Touma nodded and let Momo enter the building after inputting the pin code. 

‘GUYS, EMERGENCY!’ He yelled once he got into the flat, quickly covering his mouth because probably Momo still could hear him, goddamit. All of the people present turned their heads around to him.

‘What’s wrong? Did you buy the wrong medicine for Ryo-san again?’ Torao asked, shifting his pose a bit as Minami was leaning his chin against his shoulder ‘You could ask the shop clerk-’

‘N-no it’s not that. You guys, Momo-san is here’ Touma put down the bag with medicine onto table ‘He is waiting outside the flat!’

All of them had the same shocked expressions as Touma.

‘...What is he doing here?’   
  


‘Ryo-san is low on health potions, I’d rather not risk him getting double K.O’ed by Momo-san’s special attack-’

‘No, no! Actually-’

Touma briefly explained situation that happened before, all of them looking at each other as if that could answer their questions. Finally, Haruka clasped his hands.

‘We can try.’

‘You sure Haru?’

‘Haruka knows Ryo-san’s limits the best. We can trust him, Touma.’

The boy nodded.

‘If it was Ryo-san that invited Momo-san over, it means that he wants to tell him something. I’m a bit worried that he would visit him while he is sick and weak but that can give us as a good excuse.’

‘For what?’

‘If Momo-san tries something suspicious, we are obliged to protect Ryo-san right? I think he is aware that he isn’t on his territory anymore. Momo-san is not an idiot. He can also hear us, so there is no reason to speak lies’ Haruka looked at the door to the entrance and saw Momo’s head looming out of it.

‘Sorry, when I heard Touma, I thought he was about to get skinned alive for letting me in. Pardon the intrusion, ZOOL!’ Momo stepped to the flat and-

Opened his eyes wide when he took a good look around.

‘....I think I mistook flats.’

‘That’s Ryo-san’s flat! The same you used to visit’ Haruka put his arms onto his chest.

‘But… it’s so warm here! There is sun in here! Kitchen-- KITCHEN IS ACTUALLY USED? All 5 of you really live here? So much changed, I feel like it’s been ages!’

Somehow it was funny to see Momo being completely lost in space that he used to visit many times in the past. Minami noticed something that Momo was holding, asking about the contents.

‘Oh this? A small present for that idiot. I thought I couldn’t come empty handed so…’ Momo uncovered the paper, showing them beautiful, white flower bouquet.

‘...Flowers? Aren’t you romantic, Momo-san?’

  
  
‘Maybe. Anyway, enough of chatter. I have to ask you for permission, ZOOL’ He looked at each of them ‘Will you let me see Ryo-san? I’m good if you decide not to. I will just leave it here. There is some… stuff, we have to discuss. Though I don’t know if we will be able to do that if he is sick. How bad is his condition?’

‘He just got a really bad cold and it somehow developed into a flu. We are currently working on small jobs or Midou-san is driving us around. Though there has to be always one person to stay with Ryo-san, just in case’ Minami explained ‘About seeing him though… before you do that, let me ask one thing. Why did you accept that invitation?’

‘Hmm, right! I could refuse right? Though, that would make us even, because I sent a text message to Ryo-san before.’

‘You did? When?’

‘It’s not important. I’ve never received a reply for that text so I thought Ryo-san was too angry to respond to me… but once I got another message from him, asking to meet him, I decided to go.’

‘You two hate each other, I don’t get it’ Torao spoke, earning a stare from the rest ‘What? It’s true. Momo-san and Ryo-san fought each other a lot, right? We do know what happened between you two.’

‘He told you?’

‘Somehow it got mentioned during our recent talk.’

‘I see. Well, this is something that both of us should talk about. We are both adults… I think. Sometimes, when I was with Ryo-san, I felt like I was 10 again.’

‘Oh, same.’

‘Same.’

‘Uh… same. He is just that kind of person that makes you feel younger for some reason?’ Touma laughed nervously ‘I don’t find it that wrong. He has his moods but generally he isn’t a bad person to have around.’

‘I won’t tell you how wrong it sounds for me, because I didn’t come here to fight. Though, I’m glad you feel that way. So? What’s the answer?’

‘Go and see him. If Ryo-san really wants to speak with you, then he has a good reason to do that. He is not a person you used to know anymore, Momo-san. We may joke about how childish he is but…’ Haruka smiled to him ‘Ryo-san really grew up in the past year. I can guarantee you that. Also, here’ He handed him a brand new face mask.

‘...Yeah. I will definitely need that!’

***

_ If Ryo-san is actually asleep or starts talking like he’s drunk, just leave him be. _

It was the last thing Momo heard before he reached Ryo’s bedroom. Honestly, why did he even decide to go and see that man when he was sick? He could wait until he was healthy again and then come again but-

_ Nah. Let’s treat it as a ‘friendly’ visit. _

Looking at the bedroom door, Momo thought that place was usually out of his scope, because there was really no reason to go there. If he ended up sleeping at Ryo’s place, it was usually on the couch that was in the living room. Many thoughts entered his head when he saw this very flat. How sunny and bright it was. How it felt much more lively because of those 4. It was warm here, the vision of Tsukumo’s old, dimly-lit flat was almost non-existent in his head now. He couldn’t even remember if he ever went inside Ryo’s bedroom, so after taking a deep breath, he pressed the doorknob and entered the room.

This room for change was dark, but it was understable. Momo could see a desk, tv and finally his eyes landed on the big, king-size bed with a silhouette on it. Approaching it quietly, he could finally see Ryo’s face - he had to admit that ZOOL was right. He looked like a disaster.

He was laying down on his back, pillows being scattered literally everywhere. Momo noticed that there was a small folded towel on the top of Tsukumo’s head - probably to get his temperature down. Some of his loose hair were sticking to his forehead and his breathing was a bit raspy. 

It was truly a sight to see that person all down and sick in bed. Momo really didn’t recognize him. Just when he decided to take the towel from top of his head and flip it, golden eyes looked at him in silence.

‘...Ryo-san, you are awake.’

‘...Huh… It’s… you?’ Ryo blinked few times, using his free hand to wipe his eyes ‘Momo… you really came.’

‘Honestly, if I knew you are literally about to perish, perhaps I wouldn’t. I could say “Hey, you could tell me that you got sick, then I wouldn’t get my ass here!” but you were probably too sick to think about it, so I forgive you.’

‘Yeah… you are definitely Momo…’ Ryo wanted to laugh, but ended up coughing a bit too much, making the younger man step back a bit.

‘Is that for sure flu? Yuki won’t forgive me if I catch something more than a simple cold from you.’

‘S...sorry… Maybe you really should go then…?’ Ryo sat up, using his arms as support. The towel fell down from his head, so he grabbed it and put on his lap ‘I won’t play too much with you like this, Momo.’

‘I’d rather not play with you at all, Ryo-san. You are less dangerous like this, so I think I like this situation more than usual. You won’t send me flying anywhere after all.’

Ryo sighed deeply, taking a tissue from the box and using it.

‘No flying anywhere. I’ve had enough of Flying Man.’

‘Flying Man?’

Ryo shook his head, saying it’s nothing. Instead, he moved the bedsheets out of the way and sat down, putting his legs onto the floor. He looked at Momo in a way that the man probably never saw before.

‘Since you aren’t leaving, I will tell you what I wanted to tell. You won’t need to come here again after we are done with this.’

‘You sound so serious out of sudden… are you perhaps high on meds?’

Momo avoided Ryo throwing the used tissue at him.

‘Attacking me like this with your bacteria!?’

‘Shut up for a second!’ Another cough broke out of his mouth ‘Uuh.. Anyway. I wanted to actually bid you a farewell, Momo.’

Momo looked at him surprised and then sat down.

‘....Are you gonna die?’

‘No?! It’s not that, dumbass! Cold won’t kill me, aren’t you unlucky. I just need to stay indoors and suffer until I can work again. Haruka even took my work devices so I can’t do anything.’

‘Haha- I knew those kids were good at keeping you under slipper but are you okay with it?’

‘I am. I prefer it this way, honestly.’

‘...I see. So? Why do you want to bid farewell to me if you aren’t dying or anything?’

There was a pause, Ryo probably collecting his thoughts. Momo knew that Ryo wasn’t in mood for jokes, but somehow… it felt wrong. Strange.

‘We… came a long way with ZOOL, as you know. There were some ups and downs. My suspension and dismissal from company was supposed to sever the connection I had with those boys, but it didn’t end like this. Instead, they caught that severed wire and forcefully tied up a knot. I agreed with it.’

‘...I spoke with ZOOL about that thing but… Somehow, hearing that from your lips-’

‘I wanted to refuse, you know. I thought they were stupid for leaving Tsukumo and asking me to manage them. Why would you want me to do this, I asked. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this but… as time showed, I’m glad things became this way.’

Momo didn’t say anything, letting him to continue talking but he was sure now… Ryo was opening up to him without hesitation. No, he was actually prepared to do it.

This is why he sent that message, despite all the things that happened between them.

‘I came to… enjoy idols. Perhaps my older self would disagree with me, saying that all of you are fake and promise mountains of gold while putting on masks with smiles on them. I did believe it was a thing and I still do but… we are all like this. Not only idols. Humans are strange creatures.’

‘Ryo-san…’

‘Momo. You are a strange creature as well. You were the only one who managed to catch my attention so much, I felt like nothing outside you mattered. Many things around you pissed me off and I tried to make you look at me… the same way I looked at you.’

Oh.

‘Ryo-san… you must be really-’

‘For once in my life, listen to me when I’m honest. I may have 38’C of fever but I’m sane enough to say this.’

Momo wanted to answer but Ryo broke into another fit of coughs, so instead he just handed him a glass of water that was on the nightstand.

‘Ryo-san, you know’ He said after man calmed down a bit ‘This is the first time someone actually admitted they have feelings for me while coughing their lungs out. I will sure remember that.’

‘...Yeah. I guess I will be an unforgettable experience?’ Ryo smiled a bit ‘Just like you were one for me.’

‘...Use those tissues first, idiot.’

‘Right, right… Though, I feel a bit pathetic. I wanted this talk to look a bit different.’

‘Like what? Don’t say romantic dinner with candles and champagne.’

‘...Microwaved dish from conbini and energy drink.’

They both laughed, the atmosphere getting a bit more loose.

‘Let’s go back to the main topic, otherwise we may drift off. We… kinda used to do that, talking about this and that.’

‘Indeed. What I wanted to say is that… I need to say goodbye to those feelings, so I can finally move on with myself and with ZOOL. You understand what I mean, right? Momo.’

‘I do. I do understand but… why?’

‘Why do you ask someone why they fell in love with you? It just happens. Bam. One day I want to hold you close to my chest and another I want to throw you down the balcony. No matter how much I tried to hate you, I couldn’t. You always came back to my thoughts. The more I wanted to forget about those feelings, the more they came back to me to bite me in the ass. Though, you were the one who gave me a really good advice’

‘You mean about the grapes?’

‘Yes. I really thought grapes were sour but once I tried them, I was more than surprised to find out they were sweet… But thanks to that, I could also find out there were other fruits that tasted much better than just grapes.’

‘I know, Ryo-san. I can see that, but…-’

‘What?’

Momo looked at his face. Ryo couldn’t see his expression fully, but Momo wore a sad smile on his face.

‘I do admit, sometimes I wondered how things would go if we… chose another path. But at the same time, I don’t think I would like to go another way. I like the current one, even if it’s painful for both of us.’

‘You expect me to agree, right? Well… you aren’t wrong. Falling and reaching rock bottom taught me few important lessons that life with you would never give me and I’m grateful for it. About that thing… I just wanted to inform you. That’s all. Now, I feel at ease and I can proceed to move further.’

‘This is kinda like watching a kid take their first steps, but you are almost 33 years old.’

‘It’s never too late to learn, right?’

‘Yeah. Never too late to learn and to… perhaps apologize.’

‘What for? You don’t need to apologize to the person that almost got rid of you.’

‘I remember, idiot. But that’s not what I want to say. I’m sorry for not noticing your feelings. Not only love but… your feelings in general. You may believe or not, but I did think about it after we parted ways.’

‘I believe you, Momo. We were never destined to be together. But it doesn’t matter at this point because I have those kids.’

It was probably because of the flu, but there were small tears in corners of his eyes. Momo has never seen him cry, so it was a completely new experience.

‘There is more joy in my life than ever. That’s why, I would never exchange it for anything else.’

In the room next to the bedroom, Minami put white flowers into the vase. He knew their name but he was more interested in their meaning.

White Zinnia flowers symbolized absent friend and were usually given to people who were going away for shorter or longer periods of time. Momo giving those flowers to Ryo could mean only one and perhaps this is what made Minami feel a bit relieved.

‘Ryo-san and Momo-san finally made up with their feelings… Conflict may not be over but at least it will get buried deep, deep inside their minds.’

***

It’s been some time since major floodings and rain stopped in Japan. It was the time of cleaning up the streets, checking up on people and making sure to put suitable countermeasures in place for future cases.

Tsukumo got better soon after Momo’s visit and returned to his usual, happy self. How much ZOOL missed his smile, they never thought they would say that. They missed that idiot’s chatter and his silly ideas and couldn’t imagine their day without it.

They had to admit they got even closer to each other since that day where finally all misunderstandings got cleared up. Each of them opened their hearts, spilling their feelings and feeling much better after keeping it inside for so long. All 5 of them were steady and ready to once again fight for their position, but this time Ryo was even more eager to make sure things are up to ZOOL’s convenience. 

That’s why, they began with the most prominent case which involved their beef with Idolish7. Iori in the end decided to not put charges against Touma, so there would be no court case present, but that didn’t mean Touma got a free pass. President Takanashi said that he will think of suitable punishment for him, but first thing that he needs to do is to apologize to Iori and speak with Riku properly.

‘In your case, fists worked better than words. I guess I need to thank you but that doesn’t mean I want to get hit again, Inumaru-san’ Iori said when they were talking face to face ‘I hurt Nanase-san and I had no clue my own ideals would prompt him to such thing. That’s why, I decided to not make this case bigger. It’s my punishment as well, for playing with human life like this.’ He lowered his head in front of Touma, the man quickly telling him to not do that.

‘You can’t just bow your head in front of dude who beat you up, Izumi. Though, I will be sure to look at you carefully from now on. Don’t ever try to hurt Riku again like this. He thinks highly of you, you know?’

‘...Not anymore, unfortunately.’ Iori smiled bitterly. Touma didn’t understand what Iori meant by that until his meeting with Riku. He noticed that Riku was keeping a certain distance from Touma.

‘Are you afraid of me, Riku?’

‘No.. it’s not that. I just… I don’t know. I’m glad to see you but at the same time I’m afraid once I get closer, something bad will happen.’

‘To you?’

‘No. To you. I wake up strange behaviours in people and it’s something that I’ve been trying to understand. It may take some time, that’s why I want to ask you Touma-san.’

‘Ask away.’

‘Will you… wait for me? Until I understand everything and know that I am ready to approach you again. Not only you but also Iori, Idolish7. All of you. Please, wait for me.’

‘...I will. Even if it takes eternity, I will wait for you. I will wait for the day when I can finally hold you again in my arms, Riku. Just don’t disappear again from my life.’

‘I know. Thank you, Touma-san. I... love you, you know?’

‘Yeah. I’m very glad because of it.’

***

‘This is how circumstances are, Midou-san. I hope I managed to answer all of your questions regarding Torao’s whereabouts and any misunderstandings related to the bank statement list.’ 

Torao was sitting with his back straightened up, feeling nervous as hell. Ryo who sat next to him gave him an assuring side look and looked back at his father, who was still browsing some documents, scratching his chin.

‘Yes, it does answer all of my questions, Tsukumo-san. You even called my son a “hero” in that matter and somehow it makes me happy.’

‘It was his dream, right? One of the reasons why I snatched the job at K*men Rider Ultimax was because your son really admires heroes. Entertainment industry may be a rocky path for newcomers, but Torao isn’t like that anymore… at least not under my guidance. I do not intend to give him more trouble.’

The old man put the documents back to the folder and handed it to Ryo, still thinking about something.

‘Torao.’ He spoke, Torao’s hands nervously clenching on his trousers.

‘Yes, father.’

‘I will approve your activity. Please, forgive me for saying such words before.’

‘A-- Sure! I mean… it’s fine. You had a reason to be angry. I was being a fool for not taking your feelings into consideration.’

‘Happens to all of us. I’m glad now that you are under Tsukumo-san’s guidance. Though I heard that Tsukumo Productions seems to be in some sort of trouble recently?’ Torao’s father raised an eyebrow, Ryo giving him a shrug.

‘I am responsible for ZOOL and for Torao, not for a sinking boat of a company that decided to hire incompetent management. Their decisions do not involve me anymore and I like it this way.’

‘I see, I see… So you two are not related in terms of work?’

‘No, sir. Me and ... Tsukumo’s president are like two different world’s. Why do you ask?’

‘Because I got recently an offer of sponsorship from them. I wasn’t sure on this and I considered refusing it.’

‘Refuse it.’

‘Ryo-san, come on!’

‘Actually… I think I’ve got an idea’ Torao’s father put his hands onto his chest ‘Tsukumo-san. Do you mind if Midou Group offered a sponsorship for ZOOL?’

Ryo and Torao looked at each other surprised, asking if he was 100% sure. Soon the deal was sealed and both of them were leaving Midou residence. Ryo could literally burst out of happiness, but he wasn’t sure about Torao whose eyes were like made out of glass.

‘Ryo-san... we… we really...’

‘I know. Come here’ Ryo embraced Torao with his arm, letting him cry a bit. They were legit tears of joy.

‘We did it,  _ Hero _ .’

***

‘So this is… the place full of dreams?’ Minami asked, not being sure if the address they reached was correct but Ryo looked so sure it must be here.

‘Right! Since we agreed to furnish this place, we need a proper plan. I’m not an expert at room design, so each of you can choose what they want. Deal?’

‘But, Ryo-san? This is IKEA.’

‘Yes. Exactly where I wanted to visit. Anyway, let’s go and don’t stay back or they will meld you into meatballs!’

_ How did it come to THIS. _

One evening when ZOOL returned from their rehearsal, they noticed Ryo walking in circles, looking at his phone as if he was waiting for someone to call him back. He had so much energy he simply couldn’t be contained. When he noticed them, he stopped, clapping his hands.

‘FINALLY! You are exactly 3 minutes, 45 seconds late.’

‘Uh… what’s wrong with that? Were you waiting for us?’

‘There is something I need to discuss with you, my little bears. Sit down’ He motioned his hand at the table and went to the bedroom to fetch something. Once he was back and ZOOL was seated, he typed something in his laptop and showed them a picture of… a building.

‘What do you think?’

‘Well, it’s a building. Concrete, metal bars, windows-’ Torao earned a smack on the shoulder from Haruka.

‘I know this building. It’s not so far away from here. Why are you asking us, Ryo-san?’ Minami asked, looking at the address.

‘Because there is something that got me interested. Living space for 4 people, bam’ He began to display few more pictures. They were mostly rooms that were just finished, ready to move in but without the furniture inside.

‘Electricity, warm water, even heated floor in the kitchen, everything is there! One of my… friends, gave me number to the owner of this building and if you decided to move in, we will get a nice package. So?’

‘Wait. You want to get rid of us, Ryo-san?’ Touma opened his mouth in protest ‘We are fine here, we don’t need-’

‘I don’t want to get rid of you, come on! How long do you intend to live in my living room? It’s not comfortable to sleep on one couch, an idiot would know that!’

Though no one wanted to agree verbally, Ryo knew they thought the same. It’s been ages since they moved in here and he was full of respect that 4 of them managed to sleep on this single couch for so long.

‘Also, bathroom is much bigger. There is a bath for Minami, so it’s fine. You can still occupy it to your heart content.’

‘Fantastic, I’m in.’

‘YOU SOLD YOURSELF FOR A BATH, MINAMI?’

‘Not sold. It’s a part of package, right? Fufu-’

‘That’s why!’ Ryo closed the laptop ‘I need to know your opinion. If you don’t like it there, I need to search somewhere else.’

‘No, it will be fine’ Haruka said ‘But one condition, Ryo-san. Without that, we aren’t even moving.’

‘...Alright, what is it? You want my Playstation?’

‘No! ...I mean, that too. I want you to go with us.’

Tsukumo opened his eyes wider, noticing how all of them were suddenly glaring at him.

‘...Hey now, I can stay here, you know. It’s not far away, I can still pick you up with our car.’

‘Not seeing you in the morning with bed hair in every world’s direction and asking for coffee while wearing those pink slippers that Midou-san got you from DAISO? Day lost.’ Minami giggled ‘I’m sure everyone here don’t want to part their ways with you. Don’t make us drag you there with force.’

‘Yeah. You come with us or prepare to stumble over laundry basket for the rest of your life. So?’ Touma grinned ‘I’m sure there is another room in that space, right?’

‘...There is, but I planned to leave it just in case-’

‘See. Say hello to your new room then. It’s decided!’

‘Wait, I am the one who decides here!’ Ryo yelled amongst the laughs of the rest. Big changes were about to come and he wasn’t sure if he was prepared or not. 

They were about to find out.

***

Standing in the empty flat, Ryo looks around. Living room once again is dimly lit, kitchen cleaned up so much, it almost looks like new. The couch, the coffee table and everything is on the right place.

It looks exactly like when he moved in few years ago, but this time, he is leaving this space forever. He won’t return to here. Once he closes the door and hands the keys to the building’s owner, this flat will become foreign to him and to ZOOL. All of them are going to live in completely different place now, all 5 of them.

This place still brings so many memories to him and Tsukumo will cherish them. 

‘This is… truly the end of certain chapter in book called Life, hm? Well. Next one is going to be better for sure. I have someone to lean on and trust. Perhaps even…’

He smiles to himself.

‘Perhaps even someone who may become a family soon.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RyoMomo making up? Kinda. I still think their relationship will be complicated but at least Ryo-san finally made up with his feelings.
> 
> ZOOL moves out! Isn't that exciting? They will finally have their own rooms. No more sleeping inside living room!
> 
> Torao's birthday gacha began today so good luck to everyone rolling! Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough, maybe another time.
> 
> Last line... fufu. Promise of something? :^)
> 
> We are approaching the very end of AU! Thank you for reading.


	17. Proud of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old man cries a bit too much.

‘Everyone, what do you think about giving Ryo-san a song?’ 

‘Haha. Almost makes me think of Ryo-san’s idea to release songs on our birthdays. We came a full circle, right?’

ZOOL was sitting in a cafe, all of them throwing ideas, agreeing or disagreeing with each other and trying to come up with any good solution for their current problem.

_Ryo’s birthday._

It’s been almost 19th of October, which they learned was indeed the day when their manager got born. They had no clue about that date before, neither Ryo told them so they had no chance to celebrate. 

Well, a year ago, it would be a pain to celebrate his birthday but that wasn’t the case anymore.

‘Alright, that can be a good song but… Remember how it went? You said you want to know each of us better, that’s why we had various outings’ Torao took a sip of his latte ‘With mine, we went to the Usamimi Friends Park.’

‘Yeah. I invited you to a barbecue.’

‘We went to visit grandma.’

‘Hmm… right. However, I do know Ryo-san pretty well now. I know that he can be moody and sometimes crazy.’

‘He drives recklessly.'’

‘Doesn’t cook or do laundry.'

‘Hey now, this turned into Ryo-san complaining circle!’ Haruka smacked the table with his hand gently ‘Let’s invite him somewhere. Though I don’t know where… We went to karaoke with him.’

‘Uh, game center maybe? I don’t know what can be good.’

‘He will complain if he won’t win anything from the machine, let’s avoid that. Mm…’

‘...A! I know!’ Haruka flicked ‘Let’s take him to the ZOO.’

‘ZOO? Are you sure?’ Touma asked.

‘Yeah. I mean he always compares us to animals, right? He even calls us ‘little bears’. I think this place will be fine.’

‘Right… he is the ZOO keeper after all?’

‘ZOOL keeper.’

All of them snorted, but the idea was good enough. 

***

‘Can you take off that blindfold already? I’m afraid I will trip over my own legs. Do you want my insurance money this badly?’

‘Shut up already! Wait a bit longer’ Haruka was holding Ryo’s hand, leading him somewhere. Rest of ZOOL was walking behind them, waiting for the big reveal. Good thing it was the middle of the week, so there weren’t many people in here. Finally they stopped in front of the gate and took off the blindfold from his eyes. The man blinked few times and looked at the sign in front of him, laugh leaving his mouth.

‘You really did that.’

‘You should expect it. Anyway, Happy Birthday Ryo-san. You were such a good manager this year you will get a free ZOO visit from us. Drinks included’ Touma said and presented him with a ticket that they bought before. The man accepted it with a smile on his face.

‘It’s been surely a while when I went to the ZOO.’

‘How long?’

‘Uh. Perhaps never?’

All of them wore confused expressions, so Ryo pat their shoulders and brought them close.

‘I’m joking. I did visit ZOO when I was a brat but I don’t remember much. Though, it’s gonna be much better when you are around. Old, childless man going around animals is sure a weird sight so I never had a chance.’

‘Now you have! Anyway, let’s go before we will get flooded by big amounts of yelling preschoolers.’

***

It was true that Ryo perhaps never visited ZOO because he was behaving like a kid that just saw a giraffe for a first time outside of the book. He was the one leading them around, saying that he wants to go there and there, as if the animals were about to hide. Of course, there were few situations where the animals didn’t leave their sleeping spaces and the man made a disappointed noise. There was no one to complain to!

Watching him act like this felt much better than seeing Ryo-san from few weeks ago. They preferred to see him smile, sometimes ask stupid questions but it was still better than depressed man with a cigarette in his mouth that barely contacted with the world.

Now, they were in marine part of the ZOO, Haruka almost getting heart attack when he saw a strange ‘fish’ in the tank, quickly asking Minami what the hell is this and why it exists. One look at it made blonde sigh and pat Haruka’s head.

‘It’s not a strange fish, that’s just Ryo-san.’

‘Huh. Oh. HEY!!’ He ran behind the tank where Ryo was standing, making a strange face at him. Torao and Minami were looking at them wildly moving their limbs and laughing, hearing only bits of their talk.

‘Those two really got close, didn’t they?’

‘Indeed. Isumi-san really pays attention to Ryo-san. That’s so cute of him, don’t you think?’

‘Haruka had only his grandma this whole time, right? He is probably now learning how it feels to have other people to take care of. But you know, something bothered me recently.’

‘What was it?’

‘Haruka asked me how it feels to have a father. He sounded like he was preparing for something too.'

***

‘You little creatures, don’t approach me…’ Minami made a sour face ‘I don’t want you to be in more than 1 meter radius around me, ah-’

‘Mina, come on. They are cute.’

‘They are ferocious monsters that seek to eat me along with my bones, Inumaru-san. I’d rather not risk.’

‘But… they are just bunnies.’

‘That’s the PROBLEM.’

All of them had a break in the area next to the petting ZOO. Torao was sipping on his drink watching how Touma brought Minami along to the area with animals but Minami was running from corner to corner, trying to get away from said ‘beasts’ that were just a bunch of little bunnies hopping around. 

_/He may be good with lizards and other dangerous animals, but he absolutely loses his composure when he is around small creatures./_ Torao thought, finishing up and throwing the plastic cup into the trash can.

‘There there, Minami. A hero is coming to save you from evil creatures’ He opened wooden door to the petting ZOO space and snatched the blonde from the ground into his arms. Good thing there was not many people around, because Minami’s face became almost tomato-red.

‘Y...You. How dare you!’

‘I am a hero, remember. Touma will take care of the beasts while I leave with my prize and don’t look at the explosion behind me.’

‘But there is nothing to explode?’ Touma said quietly and kept feeding bunnies that were coming to his side. He didn’t even notice when literally all of the animals from this area kept approaching him, not letting him stand up.

‘H-Hey, help me maybe?! I’m surrounded-’

‘Your sacrifice won’t be forgotten, partner’ Torao spoke, already leaving the place with Minami who kept clinging to him.

‘YOU TRAITOR!’ Was the last thing they heard before sitting down on the bench and searching for another victims of animals from the petting ZOO. Torao’s eyes could see certain two in another area, a laugh breaking out of his mouth.

‘It seems this goat that is following Ryo-san really likes his jacket. There is also goose that is following him and tries to bite him.’

‘Ryo-san seems to attract variety of animals. Just like ourselves, right?’

‘Yeah. A snake, a boar, a dog and a tiger… What a combination.’

‘All led by a sneaky fox. Truly, a fantastic combination.’

***

The day was filled with various emotions but once all 5 of them came back home, they were dead tired.

‘Mina was right… the buns surrounded me and I couldn’t move. Ferocious creatures’ Touma sighed and dropped onto the sofa in their living space ‘Anyway… we still have a cake to eat. I’ll go and take it out, just-’

‘Sit there, Touma, I will get it’ Haruka dropped his bag onto Touma’s stomach, earning a choked sound, and left to the kitchen.

They recently finished furnishing this space, so they could just sit down in peace and not worry about the plaster falling down from the walls into their coffee. Living room was as big as the previous one they had, but this time every person had their own room and there was no need to sleep in it.

‘I’m glad we are already done with this place. Though painting walls with you was a fun experience’ Ryo said and sad down on the sofa next to Touma.

‘More like we painted the walls and you just told us what to do!’

‘Right. Counts as help!’ Ryo nodded to himself, the rest sighing pathetically.

‘You are really impossible sometimes, Ryo-san. Did you have fun today, as for small topic change?’ Minami asked him.

‘I did! I will be sure to make it up to you during rest of your birthdays too. Touma and Haruka are coming up next, right? In November and December.’

‘You really remember!’

‘Why should I not?’

‘Because you forgot my own’ Minami spit quietly, making Tsukumo laugh nervously.

‘I apologized already, right? I promise I won’t do that again.’

‘I can’t wait, Ryo-san~ Anyway, here is the cake’ Haruka brought the cake with candles already lit up and placed it in front of the older man. There were few of them, sticked in various places as if person in charge had no idea where to put them, so it made Tsukumo laugh.

‘What are you laughing at! Anyway, think of a wish and blow the candles.’

‘Right, right! Will you sing me a happy birthday too?’

‘We will think of it. Anyway, go.’

A wish… He used to think that he never had a wish of his own. Then, he wished for idols to perish and create a world where they wouldn’t lie to the others. He is glad that wish didn’t come true. 

Maybe wish for those boys success? This was something he can actually give them with his own hands. He was responsible for their and his own happiness. The past year had been filled with many things and he was glad that he survived until this day. Giving those boys a look, he smiled to himself and blew the candles, a wish forming in the back of his mind. 

‘...There.’

‘What did you wish for?’

‘That’s a secret. You know that if I tell you it won’t come true, right?’ Ryo laughed ‘It’s something important to me, so maybe one day you will understand.’

Once they were done with that part, they proceeded with eating the cake and giving Ryo presents. How surprised he was when Minami handed him an actual music sheet with words written on the back.

‘A song for me? You really wrote a song for me, Minami!’

‘Remember when you told me to write a song for each member of ZOOL for their birthdays because Nanase-san released one? You are a part of us, so you deserve a song too.’

‘Yeah. We need to take a picture of you in the rain too. Though in your case, we may just pour 4 buckets of water at you’ Torao sneered, earning a pout from Haruka ‘What? We know Ryo-san looks good when he’s wet.’

‘It sounds so wrong out of context, you know?!’

Laughter echoed through the room. Present giving session resumed until it stopped at Haruka, who was strangely quiet.

‘Haru, what’s wrong?’ Touma asked him, seeing how the boy was nervously playing with his nails. He looked straight into their manager’s eyes and took a deep breath.

‘Ryo-san. I do not have a physical present for you. There is something else I want to talk about.’

A strange atmosphere of suspense entered the air. Minami, Touma and Torao were waiting for an explanation. Weirdly enough, Ryo didn’t seem to be angry. More like, he was… prepared to hear Haruka out. Something was up.

‘I am listening. What is it?’

‘It’s… about ‘that’ thing.’

Ah. A glint appeared in their manager’s eyes. What was going on?

‘Did you give it a thought? I am ready to hear your answer, Haruka.’

‘Y-yeah… it’s just… um’ Haruka paused for a bit, then resumed talking ‘You really came up with this so suddenly, I was surprised. But actually I am happy that you even took that into consideration. Unlike certain someone, you want to keep with your word, right?’

‘I do. You don’t need to ask me, Haruka. So?’

‘H-HEY, what’s going on? Mind telling us?’ Touma broke the silence from their side ‘What’s with you and Haru?’

‘It’s nothing complicated just… I decided to take few steps in unknown direction. But to do that, I need Haruka’s permission. I want to hear his answer’ Ryo turned his head back to him ‘Tell me.’

‘I want to do this. I want to…’

What came next made Torao almost choke on his cake, Minami let out his fork and Touma open his mouth wide. It was definitely not something they would expect from Haruka or Ryo.

‘I want to become your son, Ryo-san. I will accept the proposal you gave me and let you adopt me.’

The man’s expression didn’t change. He was still smiling gently at Haruka, but the boy could see that something in his eyes changed. His gaze felt a bit warmer.

‘WAIT WHAT!’ Torao stood up, wiping bits of cream from his chin ‘Wait. Wait wait wait. What’s going on? Adoption?’

‘Y-yeah… you see…’

***

‘Are you making fun of me?’ Haruka asked with a hint of anger in his voice ‘Why do you tackle a topic like this? You know that-’

‘Kujo didn’t adopt you, I know. He is another case and I do not intend to go this way.’

Haruka said nothing, trying to still look like he is filled with rage but he wasn’t really good at this. There was more of actual relief overlapping him than anger.

‘...You are stupid, right? You don’t need to do this. It’s true that it feels bad to be the last of Isumi family left but-’

‘That’s what I’m talking about. I know my surname is something that not everyone would like to possess but I do know that I won’t have any kids. I don’t think my family is gonna remember me well, so I want someone to recall that ‘ah yes, there was a person like this’. I want you to be that person, Haruka.’

‘Ryo-san… I will remember regardless of that but… why me? You could adopt someone else.’

‘I trust you more than I trust myself at this point, Haruka. I think you are the most suitable candidate. Not in terms of business, mind you.’

‘Aren’t you rude to your future heir?!’

‘Haha. So you agree?’

‘Ah-...’ Haruka went quiet for a bit.

‘I don’t want to force you, but you know… Thanks to you, I understood many things. I am grateful to you and I want to offer you what Kujo couldn’t.’

‘...Ryo-san. Tell me just one thing.’

‘Yes?’

‘If I accept this proposal, will you be happy?’

Ryo titled his head from left to right.

‘Depends on the answer. I will wait for it patiently, piggy.’

***

‘Holy shit… Are you really gonna do this, Ryo-san?’ Touma put down his plate with cake ‘You will really adopt Haru!?’

‘Yes. That’s the plan. It may be a very rushed decision from my side, but I don’t regret considering it. It’s not that uncommon to adopt adults in our country either, so no one will be surprised. Haruka seems to not regret it either’ The man reached his hands towards the boy ‘Come here, Haruka.’

Haruka stood up and approached Ryo slowly. Once he was close enough, the man embraced him, his hand caressing his hair.

‘It may be truly the best birthday ever. Thank you, Haruka. Just so you know, you will be my favorite family member from now on.’

‘...No need to thank me, idiot. Of course I am. I am the best after all!’

‘I may cry a bit’ His voice broke at the end of sentence.

‘Don’t you dare! My shoulder is not a tissue!’

This evening ended up with an old man crying his heart out to all 4 of them. All of them agreed that Ryo already felt like an eccentric uncle or a father to them, but they wouldn’t mind if he were to become an actual family for their youngest band member. 

Haruka on the other hand seemed to be very pleased with this outcome. As he later said, he was glad to get adopted by someone just to spite Kujo and make him regret. His grandma would probably be happy with that decision too. He was really going to have a father now.

‘Ryo-san may be weird but I like being around him. Someone has to look after him.’

‘You are much younger than him and yet you act like his guardian. You are so responsible, Haru!’

***

_/You know, Tsunashi. You were right./_ Ryo thought to himself, while sitting on the balcony of their new apartment. He promised Haruka to quit smoking, but somehow it turned out to be much harder than he thought. He will try his best but-- maybe later.

_/Your words about hitting rock bottom and not killing you turned out to be more real than I could imagine. I didn’t want to admit that, but now I am content with them. I did fight my demons and my own weakness. I also said goodbye to my feelings that were still keeping me with my previous life./_

The man put down the cigarette and stretched his back. He was about to come back to his work. There was still a lot of it, but he had to take constant breaks or his boys would painfully remind him about those.

_/I lost so much, but thanks to this I gained something else. Something more beautiful and something more meaningful. I’m sure this is something you experienced as well… When I’m ready, I will definitely apologize to all of you./_

Closing the door behind himself, he took a look at his new bedroom. It was less spacious than his previous one, but he didn’t mind. His work space was much better organized than in his older flat, documents weren't laying everywhere and cluttering the space. One, certain document was on the top of the desk, the man taking it to his hands.

‘Right… I gotta fill that one later too. Maybe I will do it now~’

He sat down and opened his fountain pen. He had to input his own details there and Haruka’s in another column. Japan really liked this paperology stuff a bit too much, he missed the british way of doing that. Just signing few papers here and here and they would be done-

‘Well… as long as it will make that kid happy, I don’t mind.’

Soon, Tsukumo family would get one additional member. There was still the part where Ryo had to visit his parents and introduce a new grandson to them… somehow, he was afraid to do so, but the faster they were done with it, the faster they could forget about it.

‘...My life is sure strange, huh? I am really glad to be born though…’ He whispered to himself, soon hearing footsteps outside of his room.

‘We brought dinner, Ryo-san!’

‘Yes, yes! Coming in a minute!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLLLLLLL OF THE MANAGER AUUU!!! 
> 
> Haruka gets one (1) whole dad. Achievement unlocked.
> 
> I actually did some research about adult adoption in Japan and I hope I didn't screw up?? haha- it seems its more common than child adoption so wow.
> 
> HAPPY ENDING Y'ALL!! ZOOL and Ryo are about to begin a new chapter in their life and I hope it will be nice :^)
> 
> Epilogue will be posted tommorow. Stay tuned because afterwards, I will post some extra stories! There is a demand for them actually, I am surprised.
> 
> Thank you for reading and await epilogue! Remember to wash your hands too!


	18. 4-ROAR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you happy?

_One year later_

'This champagne is so damn good. You should try it.'

'Are you perhaps drunk, Midou-san? Also, stop shoving the cake into my face, I will get my suit dirty!'

'Iz fine! I will clean you up properly-'

Minami pressed his hand against Torao's cheek to shove him back. Usually he wouldn't be this merciful but they were guests at someone's party and they had to behave. It was an important celebration after all.

_Wedding reception_ to be exact.

'Haru, what are you looking at?' Touma asked once Haruka approached their table, his head turning right and left, his eyes scanning the area.

'Did you see dad- I mean Ryo-san?' The boy quickly fixed himself, making Touma laugh.

'Hey, I know you already got used to calling him dad, no need to be ashamed. Though I haven't seen him around. Maybe he is talking with Chloe-san's friends.'

A small pout formed at Haruka's face. Touma noticed that he was holding a plate with some sweets on it.

'Aw. Did you perhaps want to give them to-'

'I-I wanted to share! That's all!'

_Isn't he cute, our Tsukumo Jr.,_ everyone thought with sneaky smiles on their faces. As if summoned, Ryo appeared from the crowd holding a half empty glass of champagne.

'There you are! You disappeared and missed your son being c-' Touma earned an elbow between ribs from said Tsukumo Jr. and sat down, groaning.

'Hm? I was doing some stuff here and there. You know, a man of business never sleeps when on duty! Perhaps I striked you a few nice contracts. Torao will look good when posing for H&M, don't you think?' Ryo laughed and sat down beside rest of ZOOL.

'Of course I will look good, but the hell Ryo-san, why do you work during a wedding?'

'Simple. Chloe invited many people who are CEO-s or managers of various companies and any other people from industry. Just because we are on a wedding it doesn't mean that I can't promote you to the others. This is how business is made!' Ryo puffed his chest with pride 'Since you got popular overseas, I have to make sure that I can reach out as much as possible to your abroad audiences. To think that stupid idea of mine to let you perform at Red Hill Fes would have such impact on your career...'

'It wasn't stupid, as time have showed. You prompted a change in us thanks to it' Minami said and fixed his tie that Torao kept playing with. Oh, it seems the alcohol from abroad was much stronger than japanese, because he was suddenly all over him.

'What's with him? Already ready to lay down under table and doze off?' Ryo asked while playing with his glass. He almost got startled by Haruka placing a plate in front of him.

'...There. For you.'

'Oh my. I saw those cakes on my way back, but forgot to fetch them. Thank you, son.'

'You two are so cute, it's disgusting-' Torao mentioned but got his mouth stuffed with the cake that he tried feeding Minami with before.

'You should get used to it already. Haruka is legally my son now, you can complain as much as you want. Not that I will take it into consideration.'

'Don’t worry, Midou-san is not going to complain anymore. He needs to sober up a bit, that's all. I will be sure to take care of him.'

Tsukumo used his fork to stab one of the decorations from the cake he got from Haruka and ate it.

'It's been a while since I was on such event. I usually avoid weddings because I felt it was too bothersome. People always asked me where my partner was, it was funny to see their reactions when I said that I didn’t came here to have fun with a date~'

'Chloe-san was really happy when she heard that we are coming. She almost squeezed Haru to the point where he was making squeaking noises' Touma said between his munches 'I was even able to hold a simple conversation with her too! Hehe!'

'I guess english classes really helped then. You better know how to speak english so you can talk with your foreign fanbase. There is a lot of fans who just want you to step on them.'

'Y-yeah… though I don't want to step on anyone?' Touma laughed nervously 'Foreign fans are much different than Japanese ones. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to know them better.'

'True… our second concert abroad is almost here. I'm glad Chloe-san helped us to get us all permissions. Though, she could act less excited when she saw me. I still feel as if the air can't reach my lungs.'

'Haha! She was just excited to meet my kid, that's all. She was surprised to learn that you are almost 20 years old. Unlike my parents, she didn’t want to steal you away.'

'I mean anyone would get surprised. though, I can't imagine you with a small kid, Ryo-san. Neither of you would know what is happening. Also, don’t remind me about that visit… your mother was really eager to disown you that time and take me in instead!' Haruka recalled that situation which made him shudder. His new grandparents were strangely fond of him. Once Ryo went to introduce him to them, Tsukumo Mama wanted to strike a deal with him but he got saved just in time. No wonder his father didn’t get along with those people.

Ryo made a dissatisfied noise, though he had to agree with Haruka’s statement. He couldn't imagine himself with a small brat.

'Because of that, Chloe is also considering an adoption. Her partner is also on it. I have no idea if they are going to go with a boy or girl' He quickly decided to change flow of the conversation ‘Anyway, that wife of hers is so nice, I wonder how the hell Chloe did fall in love with her. She’s a complete opposite of her.’

'They say that opposites attract each other. Her wife is a really beautiful woman. You said she was a lyric writer, Ryo-san?’ Minami brushed some of the loose hairs from Torao’s head who just ended up hugging Minami by his waist and smiling to himself like an idiot.

'She is! She wants to speak more with you later, so I made sure that Chloe gives her all contacts. Right. Oh, I'd almost forgotten. There will be that bouquet throwing thing soon. You wanna see? You can’t really participate because it’s reserved only for women, but it won’t hurt to see which one will get married next~’ 

‘I want to see! You know, I don’t even remember if I went to a wedding before, so I want to see that. How about you, Haru?’

‘Sure. Let’s go. Dad-... Ryo-san.’

‘I don’t know any Ryo-san, I only know dad’ Ryo responded and grinned to Haruka who only puffed his cheeks, grabbing Touma’s hand and pulling him towards the prepared stage. Minami managed to pull Torao along with him, not bothering that he was complaining about not wanting to leave. Ryo looked at his boys disappearing between the crowd and returned to consuming the cake his son brought him.

He only choose flavors he liked. Isn’t he a cute kid!

The women were flocking the assigned space, some of them talking very loudly in english or any other languages. On the top of the stage was Chloe and her partner Alisa, holding each other’s hands and soon they announced the start of ‘that part’. Haruka and the rest stood behind the crowd but were in a good place to see everything.

‘I wonder who is gonna catch the bouquet.’

‘Depends on how strongly Chloe-san is gonna throw it.’

‘She is strong… like very-’ Haruka once again shuddered. He’d rather not get squeezed by her again, even if it felt nice to be complimented so much. She almost crushed his bones, so in the end it wasn’t worth that kind of pain!

Loud music began to play. Chloe and Alisa turned around. They looked at each other and after a countdown, the flower bouquet they were holding in their hands was thrown behind them-

But none of the women gathered under the stage caught it, as it was flying and flying in the air, reaching a completely different destination than random women’s hands.

It hit Haruka straight in the face causing him to yelp. 

Touma managed to catch him before he fell back like a log, the bouquet falling into his arms. Just in a brief second, Haruka was sure he saw stars and felt some petals in his mouth, but once he came back to living, he saw Chloe’s worried face above him.

‘<Oh dear god, Haruka! Are you okay? I should really stop working out so much, I used too much strength.>’

Haruka blinked few times, then looked down at the bouquet. Oh. He caught it.

‘<I’m… fine. Kinda. But I caught it…?>’ He said, making Alisa laugh who just appeared next to him.

‘<You weren’t even a part of the play and you caught the bouquet. I hope your partner is going to be pleased. Invite us to your wedding, will you?>’

Once those words reached his mind, Haruka blushed so intense, everyone could see steam coming out of his ears. Of course, that only prompted Torao to take a photo of him when he was trying to cover his face with flowers.

***

Tiger_Tora: [attachment 1.png] Kujo, you better be prepared. Haruka said you two are next to get wed.

rich_boar: WHEN DID YOU TAKE THAT PICTURE?!

ymt_man: Ho boy. You are that eager to get under Kujo’s slipper, Tsukumo Jr? Speakin’ of… if you two are about to get married, which surname you will take?

kokona_love: OU, that’s interesting! Will Tsukumo become Kujo or Kujo become Tsukumo… Forbidden love between enemies-

Mikazuki_wolf: God please. I don’t think I have mental capacity to call Tenn ‘Tsukumo Tenn’.

Lyric_serpent: I would say the same about calling Haruka-kun ‘Kujo Haruka’. It just sounds strangely off putting.

Ocean_man: I don’t think I am ready as well! That would certainly be interesting, I admit.

mikki_02: Kujo could take name of Tsukumo because I am sure that Haruka-kun wouldn’t be pleased with having Kujo as his surname, just as Natsume-san said? Tho, I am not the one who is going to decide this.

pudding_lad: TBH I CAN’T GET USED TO NOT CALL TSUKUMON ‘ISUMIN’!! It’s so weird.

ymt_man: LOL TSUKUMON

rich_boar: TSUKUMON?? The hell, I’m not a digimon Yotsuba!

please_donuts: How about you ask for my opinion first. We haven’t discussed anything relating to wedding.

rich_boar: we aren’t gonna get married!... yet.

Tiger_tora: come on, don’t chicken out. Ring Kujo while you can, Haruka. Don’t be like Touma.

doge_ma: What is that supposed to mean, Tora!

i_love_omurice: Tenn-nii is going to change his surname again……………………

please_donuts: Riku, I can explain that.

sharp_ichi: I don’t think there is any proper explanation for this, Kujo-san.

i_love_omurice: yeah……………. Tenn-nii………….. I will talk to you later.

please_donuts: Riku, open your door, I am literally in front of them.

please_donuts: I won’t change my surname.

please_donuts: Riku.

Mikazuki_wolf: I see we are about to witness the drama of the century.

rich_boar: someone just turn off my life support already. Also @lyric_serpent tell Torao to stop taking embarrassing pictures of me! My dad does that a lot.

rich: boar: Ryo-san*

rich_boar: I mean Ryo-san. Yes.

pudding_lad: you aren’t foolin’ anyone, Tsukumon.

rich_boar: shut up!

***

‘Wow, the weather is really good today! I was sure that London is a city where it rains constantly’ Touma mentioned as they got out of their hotel and went towards the Big Ben. They were crossing one of the bridges when Ryo stopped and looked around.

‘Ryo-san, what’s wrong? You suddenly stopped.’

‘Ah, you know… Actually, I know this bridge well. This is where I met Chloe. You can say it is some sort of special place to me’ The man answered and leaned against a stone column. When he looked at ZOOL, he got an idea.

‘Hey. How about I take a picture of you here. Do you mind? We can put it later on rabitter as a part of your promo tour.’

‘Stupid, we don’t mind at all! But we should actually take a picture of us all, including you. Do we ask someone?’

‘No need. I’ve got this with me, just in case’ Minami began to search for something in his bag and pulled out a selfie stick. He took Ryo’s phone from his hand and began to assemble it quickly into one piece.

When it was done, all of them gathered in one place, trying to find a good angle.

‘Midou-san, you are too tall for this.’

‘Are you gonna be the same kind person as Touma! You know he literally asked me if I sleep well at night if my legs are sticking out of bed sheets because I’m tall?’

Minami began to laugh so much he almost let the camera fall down onto the concrete, so Ryo caught it quickly, though he was also laughing a lot.

‘Touma, I swear to god you say the strangest things sometimes.’

‘Shut up, I was just curious! Anyway, take that photo already!’ Touma looked onto the screen ‘Hmm- Haru, get a bit closer to Ryo-san. Tora, bend your head down and Mina look a bit higher.’

Once all of them found a good pose, they smiled and took few photos, quickly checking for any errors.

‘Ryo-san, you closed your eyes here.. and here!’

‘No way! We have to retake this. One more time!’

After almost 5 tries, they managed to get a good photo. All 5 of them looking into camera and smiling with Thames and London in the background. Soon, picture landed on their rabitter feed, ensuring their abroad fans that they will perform tonight.

**ZOOL_official**

_‘We have arrived to #London!_

_Can’t wait to see you on our concert!_

_You can still get the last tickets at the gate! - ZOOL’_

***

It was probably the smallest concert venue they were performing at, but it wasn’t a problem. Feeling closer to the audience was a completely new experience to them. Their manager was almost done with setting up the camera that was behind the audience - they planned to have a livestream for another fans abroad who couldn’t attend this concert. Depending on how many people may be watching it, it will help them decide which country they would like to visit next. European and American Tour sounds like a dream, but one day they will surely achieve it.

The sound check and rehearsal were completed, all they needed was the audience and to have fun.

Soon, this place would get crowded with people that despite obvious distance and language barrier wanted to see ZOOL performing live. It was a big step for them, something that neither Re;Vale, Trigger or Idolish7 did before. Their fame was mostly restricted to Japan, even if Idolish7 was just on ‘eternal hiatus’. Ryo wondered if he is going to hear Riku sing ever again but if it’s going to bring him painful memories, he’d rather not risk it. His recovery was going well and seeing how Touma’s wellbeing improved because of it was working miracles to Ryo’s mood. Happy ZOOL meant happy Tsukumo, right?

The manager jumped onto the stage where his boys were discussing the rest of the performance.

‘Camera set, you are ready to go.’

‘Great. Thank you, Ryo-san. We really need to go back to a regular performing schedule’ Torao said and passed a water bottle to Touma, who caught it in the mid-air ‘I heard we got almost sold out for this venue. Still some tickets are left but how many places is there anyway?’

‘It’s small, around 250. We weren’t sure about ticket sales abroad but it seems people who created that petition for you to come abroad kept their word and will come to see you.’

‘That’s fine. We don’t need a huge venue like Zero Arena or Tokyo Dome to perform as long as we can have fun. We will sing our new song tonight and I hope the western audience will like it. I worked hard on it.’ Minami said in a manner that only said /Yes, praise me!/, so he did get what he wanted.

‘Good. Rock that stage, my little bears. It belongs to you tonight!’

Few hours later, loud music resounded in those walls, the people who came to see their concert yelling on top of their lungs. ZOOL couldn’t say that their audience was a sea of penlights, most of them had their phones on, recording everything (even if it was usually forbidden, they learned that foreign people don’t really bother with it) but many of them had their merchandise which was exclusively sold in Japan only. It made them so happy to see that. Venue was filled with passionate voices and strong beats.

‘<Alright everyone! Time for our newest single. We are sure you know already what it is, right?!’> Haruka yelled, earning a loud YEAH!! from the crowd <GOOD FOR YOU THEN! HERE IT COMES!>’

  
  
‘< _4-ROAR!_ >’ All of ZOOL yelled, the beat hitting in and making people jump in excitement. Ryo who was standing behind the crowd in his place couldn’t really hold himself back, dancing a bit. It was so good. This night was so good. Those boys were so damn good!

_It felt good to be alive._

***

The weather in London really changed a lot, but Ryo was happy that it didn’t rain through their visit. Somehow, the rain was giving him both sense of anxiety and relief. Two colliding emotions caused by one, single nature phenomena.

He had to admit this city was really beautiful at night. From his hotel room he could see colorful London Eye and lit up London Bridge. Despite not being fond of Thames, the lights were shining really nicely on the water. Sky wasn’t that clear, but it was alright. He didn’t need to look at the sky to see stars when he had 4 of them beside him.

‘Are you smoking again? You promised’ Haruka opened the door from balcony, Ryo quickly putting the cigarette in the ashtray.

‘You know it’s not that easy, Haruka. I was stressed about how things would go with your concert abroad so-’

‘It was good. We did well and you had fun too. I saw you in the crowd.’

‘Ahaha… Exposed. The stream went well too. I had people to take care of it later, so we could edit the best part of it and post on various social media sites’ He sat down on the chair and motioned Haruka to sit next to him. Both of them were staring at the same view as before, London at night.

‘I’m glad you got people to help you out. You don’t… need to do things by yourself.’

‘Establishing a small office was a good idea. I got some interns and employees that do their job properly. We don’t need to worry about things failing now.’

‘Yeah… I’m glad.’

They both went quiet, not being sure what to say. Two pairs of golden eyes looked at each other, smiles slowly forming at their faces.

‘You know. I’m about to get a bit sentimental.’

‘About what?’

‘About day when ZOOL got formed. About day when I decided that I want you to destroy idol industry. About my dismissal and toast for our death and rebirth. About many things, Haruka.’

‘...I could say the same. But we don’t need to look at the past anymore, right? We can proceed forward, together.’

‘As idols.’

‘As family too.’

Haruka laughed a bit. It was still so strange to him that he was actually Tsukumo Haruka now. He was Ryo’s son by law. Isumi surname may have been buried under that label, but it won’t get forgotten. Haruka was sure that his grandma - or maybe even his parents wouldn’t tell him that what he did was wrong. When they aren’t here to support him, they would like someone to take care of their most beloved child.

The man who sat in front of him was the best example of how someone can change a lot when a little bit of love is poured onto them. The one who hated became the one who loved.

‘Dad. Let me ask you one thing.’

‘I am listening.’

‘<...Are you happy?>’

There was a pause, Haruka waiting for an answer. He heard older Tsukumo laugh and then saw him smile. So sincere and honest.

‘<Yes. Very happy.>’

_**Fin.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S OVER GUYS.... MANAGER AU IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!
> 
> Big thanks to everyone who read it, who dropped in kudos and to everyone who supported me in this small adventure. I really enjoyed writing this AU and I hope Bamco is gonna give RyoZool some rights in part 5. If not, this story will serve as an alternative setting for everyone. 
> 
> Edit: Title of the chapter was changed to correspond with ZOOL's new Album!! Please be sure to listen to 4-ROAR :^)
> 
> I plan on posting few extra stories later, so stay tuned! Also, Tsukumo AU gets off the hiatus soon, so wait for it!
> 
> Thank you for reading and enjoy your day.
> 
> (Happy early Birthday to Torao as well!)


End file.
